


The Wolf of Class 77

by wiccanapprentice



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Wolfblood (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Friendship, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2018-11-15 18:18:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11236554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wiccanapprentice/pseuds/wiccanapprentice
Summary: There was another classmate who grew and laughed with class 77. A second international exchange student who suffered with her class, who exposed many to despair and its destruction and when on Jabberwock, chose to protect her classmates from the shadows and watch over them in the moonlight. This is the tale of how Jana Vilkas attended the Hope's Peak field trip to Jabberwock Island and the role she played in the killing game.





	1. Prologue - Part 1: A Nonsensical Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is a what if scenario I came up with at my old job. What if Jana Vilkas from Wolfblood was able to keep the secret at the end of season 4 and was later invited to Hope's Peak Academy as a student? There are currently no romances planned but there are several friendships in progress as I'm writing. Some may turn to romances or one sided crushes, they may not. I'll see what feels right as I progress. Please leave me constructive criticism, this is the first time I've published fanfiction on this website and the first time I've published fanfiction for a very long time. This tale is very special to me, it got me through some very dull moments at my old jobs and I've been writing and editing and tweaking it for over a year.

She stood there amongst the carnage. There were buildings crumbling nearby, rioters still causing chaos about a block over, she could hear explosives and fires being set. She was glad she was in this exact spot. Standing on the boarder between a collapsing city and what used to be a gorgeous park facing a group of people her hazy mind recognised.There was a pair of siblings, a man and a woman, who looked like they’d been sleeping rough for years with their shaggy hair and old ragged clothes but at least they shared a theme of nature based colours and faux fur. Both of them looked at her with a mix of fear and affection. A curious mix. Both of them had their arms wrapped around two younger people, another boy and girl. The boy belonged to a young adult novel; tall, dark and handsome despite the worry currently marring his pale features and his sister had grown into a wonderful young teen, openly displaying the scarred burn on the side of her face. This pair looked cleaner than the two adults currently holding them so protectively. Then there was a pair of twins hiding behind this makeshift family. She almost felt proud at how well they’d grown and how healthy they looked apart from the fear and worry so clear in their body language. That seemed to be a theme... Fear and something else. They were all hanging back, watching carefully, bodies tense. Didn’t they see she wasn’t interested in attacking? Couldn’t they tell she felt nothing?

No matter. There were others she had to observe.

Some of the group stood closer to her, they looked much cleaner like they had grown up comfortably. There was a young woman with an elegant hijab wrapped around her hair and head and currently pinned across the lower portion of her face. She didn’t blame her, the air smelled terrible and it was only through constant care from her superiors that she hadn’t yet been killed by the air quality. Beside her stood another young man, tall and proud and dark skinned and while both of them had the same fear that was echoed with the rest of the group, their amber eyes also shone with betrayal. Betrayal? It made her heart skip a beat, made her stomach drop and her throat dry up. That was true... She had technically betrayed them but what else should she have done?! No matter. The feelings they gave her only fed the thick fog in her mind.

There was one last member of this group, looking just as rough as the makeshift family further back. She stood a head taller than herself, black hair matted, dark clothes ripped and torn and dirty, skin pale and dry from the tainted air and from being so far away from the lush green environments she should be calling home. Unlike the rest of the group, this woman stood in front of her, looking her right in the eye and resting calloused hands on either side of her face.

”Jana, cariad." She whispered, voice hoarse from the air and from the emotion she could see in her eyes.  
They weren’t golden like the cubs’ or like the young couple, they were the woman’s natural light blue. There was a little fear there but even Jana could see the intense affection, the familial love and she could feel it in the gentle way this woman held her face.

”Hello Ceri.” She replied.  
When was the last time she’d heard these languages? She’d been surrounded by a language and culture that wasn’t her own for so long now but that feeling of homesickness fed the fog in her mind. She needed that fog, it kept her from thinking about things she would rather forget, it was the reason she had betrayed them in the first place. She needed to keep herself lost in despair and apathy, it was better than drowning in grief. The fog of despair, such a wonderful gift from her Alphas.

”Come back to us, we need your guidance.”

Jana simply shook her head. “My place is here.” 

Her voice was flat, so unlike her. She had once been so expressive, so easy to read and now she was almost a blank slate. She heard one of the rough adults whispering that she was little more than a puppet now and she couldn’t even bring herself to snarl back in anger because they were right. She was a puppet, a slave to this feeling and those who had spread it across the world.

Her thoughts suddenly stalled as she felt a prick in her neck and her eyelids grew heavy and her limbs became numb. Ceri’s expression had become one of shame.

”Forgive me, cariad. We need our Alpha back. You need to get better.”

She went limp in Ceri’s arms and her own dull grey eyes finally closed as the drug claimed her. She didn’t lose consciousness straight away as she forced herself to listen to a trio of voices that she didn’t recognise. Two males and a female. Two of the trio spoke only Japanese and Jana’s understanding of the language was still very basic but the third, one of the males, seemed to be translating.

”Our bargain?” She heard Ceri say.

”We will do what we can to help your friend. Hand her over.”

She heard Ceri snarl and felt her arms grip her tighter. Jana had betrayed them all and Ceri still felt the need to protect her?  
”Let us see exactly what you intend to do. Let us travel with you. Earn our trust and we will entrust our Alpha to you.”

”Very well.”

And Jana knew no more.


	2. Prologue - Part 2: Welcome to Class (Day 0)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prologue is continued and the class in introduced. Also, for the sake of my own sanity and ensuring Jana has people she can actually have conversations with, I headcanon that a couple of students in the class have varying levels of fluency in English.

Where was she? She felt like she was floating in an endless darkness. Her mind was oddly blank, what had she been doing just before this? She’d been... She’d been... She couldn’t remember. There should be a memory there for her to grab and recall but there was nothing recent. Why was there nothing recent? The last thing she remembered was a Skype chat with her friends and family at the hotel where she’d spent the night before heading to the school she’d been invited to. Unable to recall anything after that, Jana felt panic rise in her chest. She could feel her heart beating faster, her chest grew tighter and she kept spinning on the spot trying to find a way out of wherever she was. There was a tingling behind her eyes and she knew that her usual dull grey eyes had become a glowing amber.

”Calm down, Jana.” She firmly told herself. “Can’t risk running into someone when you’re panicked.”

She took several deep breaths, repeating her words to herself until she felt the tingling stop. Good. Much better. Now what? Actually, she should probably try to find a way out of wherever she was and get to class. Considering how floaty she felt, perhaps it was just a dream? Then all she had to do was pinch herself and tell herself to wake up, simple really.

”Wake up, Jana, just wake up. You have to get to school.” She told herself firmly several times before something happened.

Not to her but to her surroundings. There was suddenly a set of double doors, wooden and waiting for her. There was a sudden weight beneath her feet, like she was standing on a floor or a carpet or some surface but she was glad she finally felt the effects of gravity again. She should just go through those doors, what’s the worst that could happen? She rested a pale hand on one of the doors and pushed, expecting to see more darkness on the other side but instead she found herself in a classroom.There were only three other people in there so far and they were all very... Colourful. Yes that was definitely the nicest way to put it because wow, fashion choices in Japan seemed to be weird. There was a boy in a white suit, a girl wearing torn thigh highs with crazy colours in her hair and another boy with bright pink hair that couldn’t be real and a mechanic’s jumpsuit. Bright yellow and neon pink? Even she knew that was an awful colour combination! The girl spoke to her, her tone was so excitable and warm that she couldn’t be mad at the volume that made her ears ache a little. It was then that she realised that she didn’t speak a word of Japanese.

”I’m sorry, I don’t understand you.” She admitted in quiet embarrassment and saw confusion across the faces of all three students currently here. Great, so she didn’t speak Japanese and they didn’t speak English. Nice going, Hope’s Peak.

”My English isn’t great but I know enough.” The mechanic piped up, giving her a wave and a warm smile, revealing... Sharp teeth? What? Still, there was some relief as she could at least speak to someone even if the accent was a little thick.

”Oh thank goodness. I’m sorry to rely on you so fast but could you tell me what she said?”

If it was possible, the boy’s grin grew wider and he gave her a thumbs up. “Sure thing! She just asked if you were a student too.”

”Yes, I am. This was supposed to be my first day. Are we meant to be in the same class or something?”

The boy blinked his bright pink eyes... No way those were real. Then grinned once more. “Looks like it!”

He looked like he was about to speak some more when two or three more students walked in, all girls this time. A red head carrying a camera, a tiny girl in a bright orange... Robe? Probably the wrong word but that was the only way Jana could really describe it. Finally, someone who looked like they belonged in a hospital with that nurse’s outfit. Jana was soon forgotten as the boy became distracted by the girls and she soon lost in interest in the conversations that were slowly beginning.

* * *

  
Gradually, the classroom filled. Some just stood or perched on the desks while others, like Jana, took an actual seat. Jana chose one by the windows at the back of the room so she could observe the people entering the small classroom. And also make sure she didn’t look stupid. So far, there had been several interesting people walking in including a small boy in a suit with a sailor’s mouth, a girl with apparently natural silver hair and an impossibly huge man. Was he really the same age as the rest of them? He looked like he was in his late twenties! She checked her own dark red hair and pale features in her reflection in the window, noticing in relief that she didn’t look scruffy. Her braids were still in place with one following her hairline and disappearing behind her ear and two more forming a sort of crown from her temples and connecting at the back of her head. Her general appearance looked neat and her clothing choice of a flowery shirt and jeans and her cropped faux leather jacket was perfectly respectable. Perfectly normal compared to some of the more colourful characters in this room. There were quite a few in here now, a mix of boys and girls of all kinds of heights and personalities. How many more people were coming? There must be some clue as to the cut off point. Bradlington High back home had maybe twenty people in a class but that was because it was a small village secondary school while Hope’s Peak definitely wasn’t. Not to mention, the Japanese education system was probably different from the British one. Jana passed a few seconds by counting the number of people currently in the room. Sixteen including herself. Barely half a class by British standards. Having nothing else to do, she counted the desks. Seventeen desks. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together; they were waiting for one more student.

Speak of the devil. One last student finally entered the classroom and looked very plain amongst all these colourful characters. A white dress shirt, black skinny jeans, a green tie, he looked like he was attending an event that asked for a smart-casual dress code. He wasn’t particularly tall or short, his dull brown hair didn’t really stand out and Jana was glad that there was someone more plain looking than her. Which was probably not a very nice thing to think but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Seeing as everyone had started speaking Japanese again, Jana zoned out. She really should make an attempt to learn the language so she didn’t have to rely on the pink haired boy and the only other European in the class to constantly translate for her. Besides, the boy was overly focused on the European girl and that would just make him lazy if she asked for his help when she was around. Not that Jana could really blame him, the girl was very pretty. Her attention wasn’t caught again until she heard a new voice; it was high pitched and a little squeaky but definitely feminine. No, that sounded too old as the voice also had a childish tone to it. Girly then? Jana’s dull grey eyes watched the front of the classroom as a small pink rabbit bounced up from behind the small podium and landed on top of it, waving a little sceptre around herself.

”What the hell?” Jana mumbled to herself as she listened to several other students making similar exclamations. She had no idea exactly what they were saying but considering they all sounded confused and mildly afraid, Jana supposed they were probably feeling the same as herself right about now.

* * *

  
There was no way that rabbit was real. Seeing as no one was currently paying attention to her, Jana sniffed the air as quietly and subtly as she could. It had to be a toy of some kind, maybe she would find the smell of mechanics and be able to track it to whoever was controlling the rabbit. But there wasn’t that smell anywhere in the room. If there was, it seemed to be coming from the pink haired boy but considering his jumpsuit, that was kind of obvious and not really important. Just really well made then? Jana refused to believe this rabbit was real because rabbits didn’t talk and if she wasn’t so damn adorable, she would be tempted to hunt it right about now to release this nervous energy. Once again, being the only one who didn’t know the language (seriously, how did she get a place in this school?) Jana was left out as the rabbit spoke and everyone else reacted. At least until that little heart topped sceptre started being waved around again and Jana’s stormy coloured eyes widened as the walls around them unfolded to reveal, not another part of the school as she’d originally thought, but onto warm white sands underneath a perfect cloudless sky. The air was fresh and clean, the water to Jana’s left was calm and clear and Jana... Wasn’t the only one who was totally confused and more than a little freaked out. As beautiful as the location was, it wasn’t the school she was supposed to be at right about now. Everyone was asking questions from the sounds of it, their tones angry and confused, with the rabbit trying to answer as calmly as possible so with everyone distracted, Jana took a few steps away from the group and crouched down, resting one hand against the warm white sands of the beach. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting herself relax and thinking only of where she was and how much she wanted to hear what the island had to say. She saw the island in its entirety in her mind’s eye, slowly piecing together. She saw the beach she was on and everyone who was still talking, she saw a ranch and an airport and a supermarket, she saw beautiful wide open spaces and a curious lack of wildlife and other people. This place was absolutely gorgeous. Satisfied, she got back on her feet and brushed herself down before rejoining the group just as the little pink rabbit was handing out tablets to everyone. Jana took her place next to the blonde European girl and took a tablet that was handed to her.

”Oh Vilkas-san, we must talk about a couple of extra features on your e-handbook!” The pink rabbit said in that slightly annoying perky voice of hers. In perfect English too... Apparently the rabbit could speak English whenever she pleased and had just stuck with Japanese earlier. How weirdly convenient.

”E-handbook? Is that was this is?” Jana curiously asked as she turned the tablet over in her hands. It was smooth and actually very light, probably a good thing if this was going to be carried around everywhere.

”Yup yup! This speech bubble here is a translator!”

Feeling curious, Jana tapped the icon and it opened up a text box. It was currently set for English to Japanese with two more icons below; a microphone and a pencil. ”I’m guessing this means it does text to speech or I can just speak aloud and it’ll translate for me?”

”Correct! Give it a try, introduce yourself to the class!”

At that moment, Jana was aware of everyone looking at her. Fourteen pairs of eyes fixed on her, some expectant, others bored. Wait... Fourteen? It was still a lot but didn’t that mean two people were missing. Taking a moment to glance around, she saw a white haired boy crouching over the plain boy.

”Please introduce yourself, Vilkas-san, you can catch up with those two later.” The rabbit coaxed.

”Alright. Hello, my name is Jana Vilkas.” The voice that came out of the e-handbook was bland and robotic but unexpected enough that it made Jana giggle. A few in the group also chuckled as well.

” _Have I missed anything? He still isn’t stirring but I’m sure it won’t be long._ ” A wheezy voice said from behind Jana.

She turned around and was faced with the incredibly pale boy who had been checking on their unconscious classmate. He had wild white hair and green eyes and there was practically nothing to him; he was all skin and bones and wasn’t he warm in that jacket? His gaze met Jana’s and she found herself on the receiving end of a very laid back smile.

”Ah, you’re the student who doesn’t speak Japanese.” He said in flawless English. “My name is Nagito Komaeda and my title is Super High School Level Lucky Student.”

”Pleasure to meet you, Nagito, my name’s Jana Vilkas since you just missed it.” Those nearby who had the common sense to guess what was said, winced a little at Jana’s words.

”Ah, you may want to remember to use peoples’ family names first. It’s politer in Japanese society.” Nagito advised.

”So I would call you... Komaeda?” Jana questioned, totally butchering his last name despite her attempts. “And everyone else would call me Vilkas?”

Another smile was all she got for an answer. He seemed nice enough but there was just something about him that was niggling away at the back of her mind. It was in his presence... His aura. Something about him just set off some of her instincts.

Following their example, the rest of the group introduced themselves. Jana was able to find a notepad feature on her e-handbook too so she used that to write down people’s names as well as a memorable feature about them and a quick pronunciation guide to help her remember everyone.

”Ah okay, let me repeat those back at you to make sure I can actually say them. Sonia Nevermind.” She nodded to the other European of the class. She didn’t see the point of reversing the order with her.

”Komaeda Nagito went back to the unconscious boy. Nanami Chiaki.” The quiet girl with her cat eared hoodie and cat backpack smiled serenely at Jana.

”Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko.” The short boy with his very smart pinstripe suit just made a sound in the back of his throat and avoided her gaze. Likely because she had stumbled over his name several times and he’d eventually just given up repeating it for her.

”Owari Akane.” An athletic girl with a bright smile, wild hair and an impressive bust grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up.

”Souda Kazuichi.” The pink haired boy in the mechanic’s jumpsuit mimicked Akane’s actions. Again, Jana stumbled but only over his first name but unlike Fuyuhiko, Kazuichi didn’t seem to bothered and was much more patient.

”Togami Byakuya.” The large boy in the white suit simply nodded and politely ignored the way Jana over pronounced the syllables of his name.

”Hanamura Teruteru.” The shortest boy of them all in a chef’s garb gave her a smirk and a wink which made Jana feel a little uncomfortable.

”Koizumi Mahiru.” The other redhead on the island gave Jana a small wave.

”Pekoyama Peko.” Another girl, tall and sombre looking with a dignified air gave her a nod.

”Mioda Ibuki.” The wild and colourful one that had tried to say hello to her back in the classroom. Ibuki was the only one to reply but it seemed her translator didn’t run in the background when she had other programs open.

”Saionji Hiyoko.” The shortest person in the group who had quickly and rudely said... Something. Sonia was quick to whisper a watered down translation into her ear and Jana made a mental note to treat Hiyoko like a bratty cub.

”Tsumiki Mikan.” The nurse flinched but nodded. Poor girl, Jana already felt the need to protect her.

”Nidai Nekomaru.” The impossibly muscled man... Well boy really seeing as he was the same age as the rest of them. He grinned at her and said something. Or should that be yelled?

”And Tanaka Gundam.” A tall boy in a long trench coat and scarf for some strange reason... Wasn’t he warm in that?


	3. Prologue - Part 3: The Final Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final student crosses paths with Jana and she gets a quick crash course in Japanese manners

Byakuya was the first to speak once Jana was done. She kept her translator open and set it to Japanese to English so she could follow the conversation. His suggestion was that everyone split up to explore and find a way off of the island if that was at all possible. Sonia grabbed Jana’s arm and dubbed them ‘exploration buddies’ before pulling her toward the hotel site.

”I believe we have not exchanged titles.” Sonia stated as they left the beach behind them. “Though Super High School Level is something of a mouthful.”

”Oh I agree.” Jana replied as she removed her jacket. It was a little warm to still be wearing it. “Maybe we should think of a decent English equivalent?”

”Ah yes!” Jana swore Sonia’s eyes sparkled. That was actually kind of adorable. “But it must be fitting. Our titles tell the world that we are the best at what we do.”

”World’s Best?” Was Jana’s first suggestion and she cringed at how obvious it was. Sonia’s expression mirrored hers.

”It comes across as a little egotistical.”

”Well anything we come up with will sound like that.”

”Very true.”

They fell silent as they passed by a ranch and spent a few minutes just admiring the landscape and the single chicken calmly pecking around. Ideas were bounced between them as they left the ranch and continued their path towards the hotel site.

”Do you mind if I ask what your title is, Sonia?” Jana asked as the country lane became a concrete path once again.

”I am the Super High School Level Princess. I come from a small kingdom in Europe called Novoselic and I am so excited to be here among people of my own age.” Sonia’s face just lit up and Jana couldn’t help but smile with her. She understood to a degree.

”And what about your title, Jana?”

”Super High School Level Alpha.” She admitted, glancing down at her feet. Knowing a question was coming, Jana quickly ran through a few ideas. She couldn’t exactly say too much about her title.

”Alpha? What does that mean, exactly?”

”W-well...” Think! Think think think... Or just improvise and remember the first thing spoken! ”I come from a long line of travelers. We’re never in one place for too long. There was a period of time when my father couldn’t lead the group and I stepped up to take his place at everyone’s request. Seeing as we were always on the move and we had a habit of running into wild wolves, we often joked that we were a pack and that I was the Alpha. I guess Hope’s Peak felt Alpha was a softer version of Leader.”

Her words were slow at first but Jana soon gained confidence in her partial lie. It was true enough that she could be honest about herself as long as she remembered to switch out the right words as needed.

”Ah, I understand. That is a very interesting title to possess.” Sonia seemed happy with her explanation. Now to just remember it for the next time she needed it.

They still hadn’t thought of anything by the time they reached two neat rows of pretty looking cottages and a decent sized pool. Here they found Fuyuhiko and Nekomaru and while the former scoffed and continued just wandering around and totally ignoring them, the latter greeted them warmly. They simply waved and smiled back as Sonia really wanted to get inside the hotel itself and Jana didn’t feel like whipping her e-handbook out every time someone around her said something.

”Hey Sonia?”

”Yes, Jana?”

Jana pointed up to the hotel sign as they finally approached the doors. ”Does Mirai mean hotel?”

Sonia looked up to see what Jana was talking about and read the sign. ”Ah no. Mirai actually means future.”

”Hotel Future?” Jana translated with that knowledge. “Hm... I like it. Shall we go through the doors or up those stairs at the side there?”

”How about the door? And then leave via the stairs?” Sonia suggested. “That way, we can ensure we see everything.”

”Alright then, Princesses first.” Jana offered as she opened the door and stepped aside for Sonia to take the lead.

”Thank you!”

* * *

  
The hotel’s lobby was as empty as the rest of the island but all electrical things seemed to be working as proven by Chiaki sitting at an arcade game, totally immersed in what she was doing. Jana swore she couldn’t hear the girl breathing for a few seconds. The area itself was very cosy with a couple of plants near the seating area and a bell on the desk and a gorgeous view of the outside area. There was also a small bar that Jana assumed was open to people who actually had ID and would hopefully be hidden seeing as they were all under age. Unless it wasn’t actually alcohol in which case, free drinks and Jana saw no problems with that. With Chiaki occupied and not much to look at, Jana and Sonia headed up the stars and their jaws dropped at the beautiful open space this restaurant offered. The chairs and tables were very simple wooden pieces but suited the natural feel of the island in general, there were more plants in here that resembled mini palm trees and Jana could see the top of the staircase that lead back outside to the front of the hotel.

”My goodness... So much space!”

”I know, it’s amazing.”

Both girls just wandered around slowly, taking in the atmosphere and the open space. Unable to resist, Jana started sniffing the air.

”Are you hungry?” Sonia asked, laughing a little.

”A little.” Jana replied, smiling in embarrassment. That really had been kind of dumb. “I was hoping something would be cooking and maybe I could smell it and guess what might be available for our next meal.”

_”Did someone say hungry~?”_

A male voice said from a few tables to their right that Sonia quickly translated for Jana. He was very short, dressed in a chef’s garb and had styled hair that came to a point. Both girls just blinked a few times before Sonia smiled politely as she recalled the boy’s name first. Jana wasn’t far behind but she did have to pull out her e-handbook to see exactly what he said.

” _Ah Hanamura-san, correct? What brings you here?_ ”

” _Well I am the Super High School Level Chef, the first place I would naturally check is the restaurant._ ”

Maybe it was Jana’s imagination but Teruteru seemed to have an overly slick quality to his voice. Like he was trying too hard to be smooth. Unless he really was that smooth and he was attempting something. His beady little eyes zeroed in on her.

” _Aren’t you going to say something, my dear~?_ ” Did he just... Maybe it was totally unintentional. But there was something about his tone and expression that made her hackles rise.

”I can but all you’ll hear is words you don’t understand and then a robotic voice repeating what I say in Japanese.” She dead panned, holding her e-handbook flat in her palms so it would pick up her voice. Judging by his face, he was a little unimpressed and probably hiding it by combing that really strange hairstyle of his. At least he left Jana alone so she could play with the translator settings to find something less annoying.

While messing with the settings, she missed part of the conversation that Sonia and Teruteru were having. ”Wonder how effective speech to text is on this thing?” Jana mumbled to herself. It was the last one on the list and it sounded like it would be perfect. Selecting it, she held her handbook flat again to see how it worked.

” _Oh yes, yes, I am in quite a bit of pain you see. I must have eaten something that looked like one of my ingredients._ ” Teruteru was saying and Jana’s handbook displayed it for her in perfect English.

” _Oh my! Is there anything I can do to help?_ ” Sonia sounded so concerned and Jana was a little worried too. Just how did he manage to eat something bad? Was the blood coming from his nose part of that?

” _I thought you’d never ask! I would be so grateful, Nevermind-san. Such pain in my loins is giving me a very hard time._ ” Was it just Jana or did she see a hint of a smirk on Teruteru’s face? And why was he speaking so suggestively?

” _A hard time?_ ”

” _That’s right, I’m having a hard time because it’s full of poison._ ”

Jana flared her nostrils to take in any scents in the room without sniffing the air and drawing attention to herself. She could smell two new scents coming up the stairs from the hotel lobby, Teruteru and Sonia... But nothing poisonous.

” _So it would be great if you could use your mouth to... Well... Suck it out._ ”

Okay no, something was up here. Jana couldn’t smell any poison and Teruteru’s eyes were transfixed on Sonia in a way she didn’t like. Like a predator eyeing up easy prey. She bit back a growl that was starting to rumble at the back of her throat.

” _Poison, you say? In your loins? Do you mean-_ ”

Oh Gods, Sonia hadn’t even spotted it! This guy wasn’t poisoned at all! He was just trying to take advantage of pretty girls and Sonia hadn’t even registered it! Jana felt her skin prickle and tingle and heard herself starting to growl lowly.

” _Uhm h-hey, excuse me, do you all have a moment?_ ” That was a new voice. Definitely male and a little on the deep side considering they were all about sixteen or seventeen.

” _Woah... Denied._ ” Teruteru mumbled to himself.

She had to calm down before she could see who had joined herself and Sonia in the restaurant; she could feel her eyes tingling again. Using the screen on her handbook, Jana used one free hand to play with her hair to give the appearance that she was just fixing it.

* * *

Once calm, Jana smiled at the two, recognising them as Nagito and the boy who passed out on the beach. The boy’s green eyes drifted over all of them, observing them and saying hello. Teruteru and Sonia introduced themselves and the boy did so in kind. Hinata Hajime... The family name was spoken first which meant his first name was Hajime? Jana opened her notepad on the handbook again and added in Hajime’s name, a pronunciation guide and a memorable feature about him. When she looked up again, she saw that Hajime seemed to be lost in thought whilst looking at Sonia. If he kept that up, it would be more like staring and after the little talk with Teruteru, Jana was feeling a little protective of her first friend here. But it was Nagito who came to the rescue and broke the silence.

” _Has she enchanted you, Hinata-kun?_ ” Nagito was saying.

Rereading that sentence, Jana felt confusion; had she written Hajime’s surname wrong or had she maybe misheard Nagito? Or maybe the microphone and translator hadn’t picked him up? Was it a language thing that didn’t translate properly? She could always ask Sonia about that later.

” _That can’t really be helped, I suppose. Nevermind-san here is true royalty, what with her title being the Super High School Level Princess._ ”

There it was again. Maybe it really was a language thing...

” _And of course, we have another European in our group._ ” Nagito gestured to Jana who held up a finger as she switched her translator to the English to Japanese setting. Constantly doing this would be a real pain in the neck.

”My name is Ja-... Uhm... Wait, no, family name first.” She took a breath and tried again. “Vilkas Jana. I’m a transfer student too, from the UK. Not entirely sure how I made it into Hope’s Peak seeing as I don’t speak a word of Japanese.” She gave them a few moments to read the translated text on her screen that she had held up for them once she’d finished speaking before laying it flat again so she could continue. Nagito cut her off so she scrambled to set it to Japanese to English.

” _I’m afraid I don’t know very much about Vilkas-san, she hasn’t had much of a presence on the world stage compared to the others in our class._ ” That was a poke at her pride and Jana fought to keep the tingling and prickling feelings at bay. It wouldn’t be good to get wound up in front of people.

”I’ve had quite the effect on my local community back home, thank you very much.” She said to Nagito, knowing perfectly well he could understand English. Her voice was as low as it could get without her growling and she daren’t risk that. ”My title is Super High School Level Alpha. Clearly, the school saw some leadership quality in me and decided I would be a good student.” She cleared her throat and focused on Hajime, smiling as politely as she could, holding up her handbook for him to see as she spoke. ”It’s nice to meet you, Hinata-san. If you’ll both excuse me, I think I need an impromptu Japanese lesson from Sonia.”

* * *

Turning her back on the boys, Jana headed back to Sonia’s side and tucked her handbook in her jean pocket. ”There’s something I don’t really understand that was in the translator. Could you maybe explain it to me?”

”Of course!” Sonia happily replied before linking her arm through Jana’s and the both of them disappeared down the stairs that lead to the outside of the hotel. ”So what it is you are having trouble with, Jana?”

”I kind of just copied Nagito when he added the word ‘san’ to the end of your name and hoped I did it right but I was wondering what it meant.”

”Ah, you mean honorifics. It is not something that exists in Western languages as we tend to use our tone of voice and body language to convey how close we are to someone but Japanese has a set of suffixes that convey your relationship to someone else be they a teacher, an adult in authority or a close friend.” Sonia explained.

Jana listened with rapt attention, quickly writing this down on another note on her notepad app. These translator and notepad functions were definitely going to come in handy.  
”I see. Did I use it correctly?”

”Yes, you did. You even remembered to say your surname first and use the surnames of others too. It would have been a social faux pas if you had addressed them by their given names when you do not know them that well. However, seeing as you do not speak the language at all, you may be given some leniency.”

”Okay, I’ll make extra sure to remember this. How many do I need to know?”

”Not too many thankfully. But you may want to keep taking notes. Perhaps we should find somewhere to sit down? A proper explanation may take a while.”

Jana nodded in agreement as they left the hotel site in favour for the shade provided by the trees a little ways away. Being Europeans, they weren’t used to the warmth and Jana being a redhead was already looking a little pink in the face and Sonia’s fair skin had darkened a shade or two.

”Alright, now that we are comfortable, I shall begin.” Sonia effortlessly took control and Jana was actually really okay with that. She could see why Sonia was the Ultimate Princess.

”San is the most commonly used honorific and you did indeed use it correctly. It is used in respect for those of your own age group as well as people you are not very familiar with. For example, even if you got to know Hajime very well, it wouldn’t be unusual for you to call him Hinata-san or even Hajime-san if he allows you to use his given name.”

Jana nodded as she diligently took notes. She didn’t want to offend any of her classmates after all and she truly did want to understand Japanese as a whole. It bruised her pride a little to have to rely on her handbook and Sonia to be able to communicate with everyone.

”Sama is a more respectful version of san.” Sonia continued. “It is used rarely, saved for house guests and shop customers or people you admire such as celebrities or deities you believe in. Using it with your own name is considered incredibly rude and will make you appear arrogant unless you are using it in a humourous self-depreciating manner. You will likely hear kun used a lot as we all get to know each other. Kun is used to refer to those younger than yourself and is generally used to refer to boys younger than yourself but you will likely hear it used amongst all of the boys at some point. However, keep in mind that this is not a rule written in stone; male teachers often use kun to refer to their female students and kun can also be used between family members and close friends of any gender.”

That one seemed a little more complicated to Jana but at least she wouldn’t be using it for a while. Sonia was still speaking, were there more for her to learn?

”Chan is the final one that you ought to learn while you are here. There are a few more honourifics but it is highly unlikely that you will hear them on this trip. Chan is an endearment, it is also used between close friends and is used for all ages though I would avoid using it for your superiors as that is very rude and condescending.”

Jana finished up her notes and smiled up at Sonia. ”I think I understand a little better. I’ll probably reread these a lot to make sure I don’t make a mistake but thank you for teaching me.”

”You are very welcome, Jana. I understand how difficult it is to learn a language. I am fluent in thirty myself.”

Jana’s jaw dropped. Thirty languages?! That was insane! Sonia just giggled in embarrassment.

”You are not the first to react like that.”

She would’ve replied but she heard a bell and a nearby monitor lit up showing the rabbit. She held up the handbook, hoping it would translate but it seemed it couldn’t pick up sound from the monitors very well and mistranslated several things.

”Ah, Usami wishes us to go to the beach.”


	4. Prologue - Part 4: Change Is Afoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class gathers once more and a storm arrives

Jana and Sonia weren’t the last to arrive but it was a close call. Before anyone started speaking, Jana made sure she had her handbook out so she could follow the conversation and join in. Since it was a group, she decided that the annoying robot voice would be more effective despite the fact that it really grated on her hearing.

” _You’re the last ones to arrive, where were you?_ ” Byakuya demanded and the two girls had to check behind them to make sure they were or weren’t the ones being addressed. As it happened, he was actually addressing Hajime and Nagito who weren’t too far behind them.

” _And you two aren’t much better._ ” He continued, turning on Sonia and Jana with an unimpressed expression.

” _We are very sorry for not rushing._ ” Sonia immediately apologised.

”We were over by the ranch, it took a while to get here after Sonia gave me a quick Japanese lesson.” Jana explained as the four latecomers joined the group.

” _This is our only chance to talk before the rabbit returns with whatever business she has with us._ ” Byakuya explained, standing in front of them all and easily taking command of the situation.

Something in Jana wanted to rise up and growl, to snarl and challenge him but she beat that instinct down. She didn’t need to draw attention to herself. She didn’t need to be the Alpha here. At least... She didn’t have to be obvious about it. Now there was an idea.

” _Then let’s talk!_ ” Hiyoko joyfully said.

Byakuya gave her a nod and opened the floor to the others. ”Let me hear your impressions of the island.”

Peko was the first to speak, her voice smooth and calm which was very fitting as she was one of the ones who hadn’t yet panicked at all. ” _The central island had a number of gates and bridges but they were all blocked off._ ”

” _Oh oh! Me me, pick me! Ibuki has an answer for that!_ ” Ibuki piped up. Was it possible for anyone to be so hyper and excitable without sugar? ” _Usami told Ibuki those are to make sure people don’t get lost._ ” She informed the group with a proud grin on her face.

”I don’t doubt you, Ibu- no wait, Mioda-san, but are you sure we can trust the rabbit?” Jana pointed out. “I don’t think she’s capable of hurting anyone but she could be lying.”

” _In this situation, we may have to take what Usami says at face value. After all, we have no other guide._ ” Peko responded before turning her attention back to Ibuki. “ _And is this island really that large?_ ”

” _Maybe but it’s like a real holiday getaway!_ ” Kazuichi said. “ _There’s a resort and everything!_ ”

” _Oh and a biiig ranch._ ” Hiyoko added.

” _The supermarket is large and stocks everything from... From food to living necessities._ ” It was a good thing the mic on Jana’s handbook was so sensitive because Mikan’s voice was so quiet and timid.

” _The hotel looks really nice too, it’d be nice if we could stay there._ ” Mahiru chipped in with her observations.

” _The restaurant is also quite lovely though seems to cater to more regular tastes._ ” Sonia said.

”And it’s spacious too, we can all fit in there easily.” Jana added on as she had been there too.

” _I found something too._ ” Teruteru piped up and Jana was instantly suspicious. He hadn’t left a good impression on her earlier but he did have everyone’s attention now. “ _Girls! Lots of very cute girls as far as the eye can see~_ ”

Jana growled and felt the tingling sensation across her skin and behind her eyes. She should calm down, she should really calm down but this boy was just awful. Thankfully, she remained behind Sonia so was able to duck to hide her eyes though she did get a few looks from Sonia and those who were standing close by. She covered up her growling by coughing.

”Breath caught in my throat.” She explained weakly. Compared to her half truth earlier, that was a pathetic lie.

” _Groooooooss, Ibuki is getting goosebumps!_ ” Ibuki exclaimed and shuffled away from Teruteru.

* * *

  
Byakuya waited until the noise had quietened before speaking again. ” _You’re all fools to not have noticed the most serious truth._ ”

” _The most serious truth?_ ” Chiaki asked politely.

” _You must be greater fools than I thought you were to not have noticed it._ ” He continued.

” _You talking all big and condescending to us, you fat bastard?!_ ” Fuyuhiko spat angrily.

Byakuya gave a contemplative look at Fuyuhiko who was much smaller than himself before calmly saying “ _Small dogs shouldn’t bark so loud._ ”

The entire group winced at that. Jana especially as she recognised a challenge when she saw one. Byakuya was an effortless leader and Fuyuhiko looked like he was used to having some measure of control. Put two Alphas together in a group and they were bound to clash eventually. Jana had to close her eyes and take several breaths to stop her own instincts from rising again; she was already an Alpha and her wonderful pack was back home. She didn’t need to step in here, tempting as it was.

” _Hey, what is the most serious truth you found?_ ” Hajime eventually asked.

Byakuya was silent for several moments as though he was thinking or gathering his thoughts. ” _How many of you explored the central island with the big park?_ ” He asked the group and several raised their hands including Nagito, Hajime, Peko and Ibuki.

” _The big creepy looking bronze statue is at the centre of the park, right?_ ” Hajime asked. Byakuya nodded and continued.

” _I saw it and remembered a story about an island paradise in the Pacific Ocean where Summer is eternal. There are six islands in total with five larger ones surrounding the sixth smaller one. It is said that there is a holy creature tied to each of the five larger islands and this island is known as Jabberwock Island._ ”

” _So then..._ ” Nagito began. “ _Do you believe that we’re on Jabberwock Island right now?_ ”

” _Perhaps. I still have a few unanswered questions in my mind but I shall pass on anything I learn or remember._ ”

” _Good idea, that story you told is still incomplete._ ” Nekomaru pointed out.

” _I don’t care what this island is called._ ” Akane groaned with boredom. Jana could see the girl fidgeting with her skirt hem and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Did she not like keeping still? “ _It could be called anything but it don’t change the fact that we gotta live here, right?_ ”

The serious atmosphere Byakuya had created was soon broken by the smiles of several of the class and then absolutely smashed by an exclamation from Ibuki.

” _I’m looking forward to living together on a tropical island! This whole thing sure is excitiiiing~_ ”

” _Yeah, this whole deal isn’t so bad._ ” Kazuichi agreed with her.

” _H-Hey._ ” Jana heard Hajime but no one else did. He seemed tense, nervous... Was he alright?

” _Hehe, I like this island!_ ” Hiyoko piped up with a sweet smile. Was her attitude from earlier just nerves then? “ _Can’t say the same about the cretins I have to call classmates._ ” She added with a cruel smirk and Jana just sighed. Nope, Hiyoko was definitely a brat.

” _Did anyone hear something?_ ” Teruteru asked, playing with the comb he pulled out of his pocket. He was nervous too but was that just because he was denying Hiyoko’s mean comment or had he really not heard her and was sharing Hajime’s worries? Jana couldn’t really tell and frankly, she didn’t want to know how the chef’s mind worked.

” _I’m still a little worried._ ” Mahiru piped up quietly. “ _But not as much as I was before._ ” Her expression soon changed to one of happiness. “ _There’s no danger here or inconvenience so I feel like this won’t be such a problem after all._ ”

* * *

  
Jana watched as Hajime only became more flustered and confused.

” _H-hey guys, seriously. We should stay calm and really think about this._ ” Hajime was trying to say. “ _We’re supposed to be attending Hope’s Peak, right? So isn’t it kind of weird that we’re being told to live on an island thousands of miles away from Japan? No matter how you look at it, it’s totally weird!_ ”

He had a good point, it was a little strange but with such beauty all around and knowing that this place was safe... Jana had to agree with the others. This couldn’t be that bad.

” _Perhaps the sun has addled you, cool your head off for a while._ ” Gundham said, directing his words at Hajime.

” _Besides, even if we wanted to leave, we can’t._ ” Teruteru pointed out and Jana was pleased to hear him being sincere for the first time today. At least he was capable of not being a giant creep.

” _We haven’t seen a ship and the planes in the airport are just for show. I even told Hinata and Komaeda about the engines being gone._ ” Kazuichi added onto Teruteru’s statement.

There were planes in the airport with no engines? News to Jana as she and Sonia had only really explored the hotel.

” _And I discovered that there’s no way to contact the outside world._ ” Peko pointed out. “ _It would be impossible to call for help from closer islands and countries without a method of communication._ ”

Now that worried Jana as she had arranged times with her friends to talk to them and update them on how everything was going and she doubted that they were aware she was on a tropical island right now. They were bound to worry if she didn’t meet those arranged times.

” _Why don’t we just swim home?_ ” Akane piped up, yanking Jana out of her thoughts.

”Those of you with the strength to do that are more than welcome to try.” Jana sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes. Was Akane really that dim? Not everyone had that physical strength!

” _I-I agree with Vilkas-san._ ” Mikan added with her timid voice. “ _It’s impossible for all of us to swim that far._ ”

” _Show some spirit! A little spirit can go a long way in conquering what seems to be impossible!_ ” Nekomaru yelled, making the skittish Mikan flinch and Jana rub at her ears. He was so loud, could he just not do that?

” _She just said it was impossible._ ” Mahiru snapped at him and Jana was amused at how quickly Nekomaru backed off. She liked Mahiru’s attitude already.

” _So how about we cut down some trees and build a raft?_ ” Hajime suggested.

”Do you know how?” Jana asked but they were interrupted by the arrival of Usami.

* * *

  
Usami actually looked a little irritated with her tiny eyes squinting at all of them and holding her sceptre offensively.

” _Nuh-uh, I can’t allow you to do that!_ ” She told them all in her squeaky voice. “ _That is the biggest of no-nos._ ”

”Treat us like newborn cubs, best way to get our trust.” Jana muttered under her breath and had to quickly press delete before it translated.

” _Please reread the guidelines of the school trip!_ ” Usami continued but didn’t actually allow them to look before speaking some more. “ _Littering is not allowed. Let us coexist with this island’s bountiful nature in mutual prosperity._ ”

” _Trying to make a raft would be considered littering?_ ” Hajime asked as Jana decided to actually open the rules and read them as she hadn’t done that yet.

**Rule 1: Extreme violence is prohibited whilst on the island. Please live peaceful and relaxing lives with your classmates.  
Rule 2: Be considerate of each other and work together to build hope.  
Rule 3: Littering is not allowed. Let us coexist with this island’s bountiful nature in mutual prosperity.  
Rule 4: The lead teacher cannot directly interfere with the students. The only exception is if any student violates a rule.**

These rules were... Actually quite sound. The whole idea was to ensure everyone was safe and no one attempted to do something stupid. It also meant Usami wouldn’t be constantly breathing down their necks and would only watch from afar which seemed fair as they were all mature enough to not do anything too outlandish. Though Jana was a little surprised to realise that Usami had quoted rule 3 word for word. How many times had the rabbit read the rules to memorise them that well? Whilst reading, Jana seemed to have missed out on something as Hajime looked even more frustrated and Usami was handing out some kind of keyring charm. Jana took hers politely. The charm itself was soft and squeezable as Usami explained and squeezed the tummy of her example one having already handed one out to the rest of the group. A tinny voice came out of the speakers. Pure curiosity made Jana squeeze hers; Usami had already given her a handbook with a translation feature and she’d already figured out that it didn’t pick up recordings too well. Maybe...

”I’m Rabbit, Magical Miracle Girl Rabbit! I’m a little girl who’s sweeter than milk.”

Yup, hers was in English and so cringe worthy. But she pocketed it anyway, there was someone back home who might enjoy it. No one else in the group seemed impressed as all of the charms, bar Chiaki’s, ended up on the sand.

”Yours speaks very literally.” Sonia said as she was stood right next to Jana.

”How can you tell?” Jana asked curiously.

”Usami literally means rabbit. A fitting name for our... Teacher.” Jana noticed Sonia’s hesitation with calling Usami their teacher and she didn’t blame her really. Usami seemed so childish and naive, why was this thing watching over a bunch of teenagers?

”So we have a rabbit for a teacher who’s name literally translates to rabbit? And I thought this couldn’t get any stranger.”

” _Hey! Y-You can’t taint nature with trash!_ ” Usami was saying in an attempt to scold those who had simply dropped their gift. She wanted to make a comment so badly but Jana decided to be polite and bit back the words she so desperately wanted to say. However, she needn’t have worried as Ibuki seemed to be running on a similar wavelength.

” _Gasp, so even you admit they’re trash!_ ”

It got a smile out of most of the group as Usami sadly collected her rejected gift. Now Jana felt a little bad because Usami looked so lonely in that moment but she had left herself open to that one and teenagers could be a difficult bunch to control.

” _I even prepared something else for you all._ ” Usami mourned as she picked up the last charm. “ _But I’m not sure you bad kids deserve it now._ ”

Everyone’s interest was caught at that and it was Peko who broke the brief silence this time. ” _Something else for us? Care to explain?_ ”

” _Well... It’s not as great as the keychain but..._ ” Usami pulled out two large bags, one red and one blue. “ _I thought you might all like to do an island themed activity._ ”

” _Like a beach party?_ ” Akane asked.

” _Exactly!_ ”

”Oh wow, I have never attended a beach party before! Is it like a festival?” Sonia asked with that sparkle back in her eyes.

”I’ve never been to a beach party either.” She told her friend with an excited grin. Only for Teruteru to ruin her good mood.

” _Nevermind-san... My loins are still full of poison, you know, and I would be so grateful for some help~_ ”

The translation feature on her handbook was going to be useful and get her into so much trouble because Jana reacted without thinking. She got right in Teruteru’s face, growling and scowling at him as she loomed over his tiny frame.

”If you get within six feet of Sonia or any of the other girls with anything other than platonic intentions, you’ll find yourself tied to a tree and covered in cooking oil in the midday sun. Blistered sunburns probably aren’t a good look.” The robotic voice of the translator ruined the effect a little but she could see the tiny chef shaking in his little apron and nodding fearfully.

”Vilkas-san, please remember rule number one!” Usami squeaked at her once she’d stepped away from Teruteru.

”No extreme violence, I know.” Jana huffed, folding her arms in irritation. “But at least tell him to treat the girls like people rather than a piece of meat!”

* * *

  
Everyone was looking at her strangely now. Jana had been perfectly polite when introducing herself and had even gone to the effort of listening and learning when differences in English and Japanese made her misunderstand a few things. The sudden threat and the aggressive behaviour threw everyone off a little. Realising her mistake, Jana cleared her throat with embarrassment and once again, it was Ibuki to the rescue.

” _So... Back to party talk! Since we’re on a tropical island, we should totally have a barbecue!_ " A meat meal? Jana perked up a little at the thought.

” _And a camp fire!_ ” Mahiru added and Jana promptly lost some of her colour, not that she had much to begin with.

” _We should find a hoop snake and kill it!_ ” Everyone promptly took two large steps away from Hiyoko.

” _Why is finding one not enough?!_ ” Kazuichi asked from his spot several paces away from the tiny girl.

” _There are so many different ideas! But as we’re at the ocean, please feel free to take a school swimsuit from these bags and go swimming!_ ” Usami suggested, gesturing to the two large bags she’d conjured out of nowhere just a few minutes ago.

” _You’re... Ordering us to go swimming?_ ” Hajime asked slowly. Maybe he was a little dense because he was still recovering from passing out earlier?

” _N-No! It’s completely optional!_ ” Usami quickly responded, shaking a little. Was that a shiver of fear Jana just saw? Huh... Strange.

” _Why would any of us go swimming in a situation like this?!_ ” Hajime yelled back only to be interrupted by several of the others heading to the bags to grab swimsuits. The only ones who stayed behind with Hajime were Fuyuhiko, Hiyoko, Byakuya, Chiaki, Jana herself and strangely enough, Akane. Sonia lingered for a few moments too.

”Are you joining us, Jana?” She asked her friend who just smiled and shook her head.

”I’m feeling a little sick actually. Think the sun’s starting to get to me so I’ll just sit in the shade for a while.”

”Are you sure?”

”I’m sure. Go have fun.”

Jana watched as Sonia gleefully headed towards the hotel to change then found a nice spot under one of the palm trees to observe everyone else. Hajime was already talking to Akane and... Oh wow okay! Jana quickly turned her gaze away as it looked like Akane was about to strip but then she heard Usami’s squeaky voice and figured the girl had been told off. She just watched the small group for a while as Hajime made the effort to say something to everyone and listen to them; he seemed very sociable. Seeing as she was no longer in a group, Jana scrolled through her available settings for her translator app, setting it to English speech to Japanese text just in case someone decided to come and talk to her. As it happened, someone did come over. Hajime asked something and while Jana couldn’t understand the words and currently had her translator on the wrong setting, she did understand the gestures and tone of his voice.

”Sure, take a seat.”

She said with a polite smile and making sure he could see the screen of her translator and therefore, her response. Hm... It would be awkward to constantly switch between two different settings... Maybe detect language would work on speech to text? That ought to make things go a little faster at least.

”You look troubled.” She said to him to break the ice as well as make sure this setting actually worked.

” _I guess I am..._ ” He replied with a frustrated sigh. “ _No one understands how weird this all is._ ”

”I agree, it’s very strange.” Jana was a little worried that Hajime had given himself whiplash with how fast he turned his head to look at her in surprise.

” _You do?_ ”

”We’re in a strange place with people we don’t know and we weren’t given any kind of warning about this trip. That’s definitely worth worrying about. So tell me, what exactly is it that’s worrying you?”

” _Who organised this, how do we go home, can we really trust Usami, do our families know where we are, what about our education?_!” Jana blinked and rested a hand on Hajime’s shoulder.

”Okay breathe first before you give yourself heat stroke.” She instructed, watching as he did so. “Alright, let’s tackle this one part at a time. First-” She held up a finger. “-Since this is a school trip, it was probably Usami who organised this. She seems to have everything we need. If it wasn’t her, then It was probably the head of the school or perhaps even both of them.” She paused, letting Hajime think over this information.

” _You’re... Probably right there._ ”

”If you’re happy, let’s move onto number two.” She held up her second finger. “Usami already explained that to go home, we just have to build strong bonds of friendship with everyone else in the class. Point three.” She didn’t let him wait this time because he really should have remembered that and she doubted Nagito didn’t tell him about it. ”Even if Usami turns out to be not very nice, there’s more of us than there are of her and we’re all bigger than her. All we’d need are either Nek-… I mean, Nidai-san and Owari-san and we’d be fine.”

That got a snicker! Hajime was at least being cheered up by her words so that was a good start. ” _You’ve got a point there. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever heard how weird Japanese names sound in a British accent._ ”

They both just laughed for a minute or two because it really was ridiculous and in the end, Jana forgot to go over the last couple of points. But Hajime seemed to be in a better mood now. He was almost contemplative as the others ran out into the sea in their school swimsuits, some swimming and paddling, others choosing to stay on the sand. Jana glanced over at Hajime who seemed to be lost in thought. He was watching the others in fascination, his earlier slight smile now a small frown; Jana couldn’t even begin to guess at what he was thinking.

” _I could just... Join them, right?_ ” Jana tilted her head a little at Hajime and read the translated text on her screen. Was he asking her or was he talking to himself?

”If you really want to then do it.”

” _Yeah... Yeah! I’ll do it!_ ”

He stood up, looking much happier now and made his way over to Usami. Jana figured he was asking for a swimsuit. Maybe she would join in when it wasn’t quite so warm, building a sandcastle looked pretty fun and she couldn’t really go swimming as she’d never learned how. She watched Hajime, now in his swimsuit, running towards the ocean and Jana... Couldn’t relax. She’d been fine a moment ago and hadn’t even been that worried when talking through Hajime’s worries and yet something was niggling at her senses and at the back of her mind. It was in the air, in the whispering of the trees as their leaves gently rustled, she could just feel that not all was well. That something was coming. She got to her feet, looking for the first sign.

As the bright sunny sky suddenly turned black, Jana hated that she was right.

She watched Hajime question Usmai but even she seemed confused and afraid. One of the monitors nearby switched on and all Jana could see was a screen of static and an odd looking silhouette. To her, it looked like... A teddy bear maybe? Whatever the voice was saying, it was horribly squeaky, similar to Usami’s but unlike Usami’s, the cheerful tone held no real warmth to it and sent shivers down Jana’s spine. This was an enemy. She found herself growling at the screen, baring her teeth at the new faceless enemy. Soft footsteps behind her forced her to calm down before anyone saw. Turning around, she saw the soft face and sleepy eyes of Chiaki holding out Jana’s handbook which she gratefully took back. It must have fallen off of her lap when she stood up.

” _We have to go to Jabberwock Park._ ” Chiaki explained.


	5. Prologue - Part 5: Enter The Headmaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Headmaster arrives on the trip and things change for the worst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the prologue. I'm a little disappointed at my word count, it looked like a lot more than that in my word document but this choppy presentation is purely for the prologue. The next chapters will be presented a little differently. I hope you continue to enjoy this as Jana does become more involved in the next chapter.

Those who had been swimming hadn’t been given the chance to change so were all barefoot and wearing their clothes over their swimsuits. Jana hadn’t actually seen the park yet and she was sure that, in the sunshine, it was a beautiful place. It would be perfect to run around at night. The bronze statue in the centre looked incredible and was probably an awe inspiring sight but in the current dim light, it looked menacing and intimidating. The park in general held a menacing aura now. Jana caught up to Sonia as Usami called out into the empty park. She was about to make sure her friend was alright when she heard a strange laugh.

”Upupupupupupu!”

Jana turned her head wildly, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from only for the voice to maniacally laugh again.

”Aaaahahahahahahahahah!”

The statue? Once again, she turned out to be correct as a black and white teddy bear leapt up from behind one of the bronze creatures and greeted them all with a smile. At least... The white half was smiling. The black half was grinning insanely. Was her handbook still on detect speech? Okay Japanese speech to English text was what she needed right now.

” _Why hello there! Thank you all for waiting so patiently~_ ” The bear said.

It spoke so politely but Jana felt nothing but fear listening to him. Why was she so frightened? He was just a stuffed toy like Usami... But Usami wasn’t just a stuffed toy and while she was harmless, there was no telling what this one could do.

” _I am Monokuma, the headmaster of this academy!_ ” That couldn’t be right. Surely the headmaster would be a person? ” _And now that I’ve made my dashing appearance, I’ve only got one thing to say to you all._ ” Monokuma jumped down from the statue and began pacing in front of the gathered students.

“ _This little trip of yours... Is so friggin’ lame! The lamest!_ ”

” _Ooooo just as I thought... It’s you!_ ” Usami angrily told Monokuma, holding her sceptre ready to use it. “ _But how? Why are you here?!_ ”

” _Shut up, you!_ ” He snapped at the rabbit before turning back to the student’s, red eye glinting in irritation and plushie body tense. “ _Now as for the rest of you... Your lukewarm attitude is making me want to vomit. It makes me livid! Heart throbbing school trip? What is this crap, anyways? I’m bored! So knock this crap off right now!_ ”

”Oh I’ll knock something off alright.” Jana muttered under her breath only to receive a whispered scolding from Sonia.

” _We’ve got world demands to meet, ya know! No one wants to see happy peaceful teenagers! They wanna see misery and despair._ ”

Did this bear ever shut up? Thankfully, he stopped his little monologue as Fuyuhiko decided to pipe up, looking pretty mad himself. ” _T-The hell’s up with this stuffed animal? Nothing he’s saying makes any damn sense!_ ”

Usami stepped forward towards Monokuma. “ _Be careful, class, leave this to me and please stand back._ ”

”Usami, are you sure?” Jana asked slowly.

” _As long as I have my Magic Stick... I don’t know why Monokuma is here but I will keep you all safe._ ”

Usami didn’t stand a chance. She was so busy reassuring the class that Monokuma leapt towards her with a roar. The students watched as the two stuffed animals exchanged blows... Or rather, Monokuma beat the stuffing out of the rabbit, taking her sceptre and smashing it under his paw.

” _Noooooo!_ ” Usami cried.

” _Victory! Now... How to celebrate such a flawless victory._ ” He leaned down to the rabbit, the grin on his black half getting even wider. “ _First of all, white rabbits are waaaaaay too plain~_ ”

She could see Usami shaking in fear.

” _Sooooo I’m going to remake you in my image! Ahahahah~_ ”

Was that even possible? Jana didn’t really have time to think about it as Monokuma pounced on Usami again. This fight was even more one sided as Monokuma pinned her down and both of them disappeared in a cloud of cartoon like smoke only for things like screws, bows and the occasional nappy went flying.

” _Will you keep still?!_ ” Monokuma snapped. “ _This piece isn’t going to shove itself in, ya know!_ ”

” _Nooooo!_ ” Usami squealed. “ _That’s a no-no. That’s a big no-no!_ ”

But it was no use. The smoke and dust cleared and Usami was no longer a white rabbit The bow on her ear had stayed but she was now pink and white, reflecting Monokuma’s black and white with the eye on her pink half now bright red. But at least it was still round and somewhat friendly; Monokuma’s right eye looked a bit like a red bat. Embarrassingly, Usami was now also walking around in a nappy.

” _Noooooo! Change me back to normal!_ ” Usami cried, tears pouring out of her eyes. Could stuffed animals really cry?

” _Ooooohhhh? Defying your big brother’s fashion taste? Are you a trouble maker, Monomi~?_ ”

Monokuma asked, sounding almost innocent apart from that constant something in his voice that made Jana want to back away several feet.

” _W-what? B-big brother? Monomi?_ ” Usami asked through hiccups and small sobs.

” _Mhm. Your current position is so wishy-washy so you are now my little sister~_ ”

” _Hey!_ ” Usami yelled back, already mimicking the way Monokuma moved. “ _Why do I have to be the younger one?!_ ”

”That’s not really the point...” Jana whispered.

”Jana, you really should stay quiet and not draw attention to yourself right now.” Sonia reminded her.

”But-”

”Jana!”

”Fine.”

* * *

  
“ _So that’s how it’s gonna be~_ ” Monokuma said with a finality in his voice and that glint returning to his red eye as he held up a paw threateningly. Jana has missed part of their conversation while being told off by Sonia. “ _And from now on, Monomi, if you ever disobey me, I’ll never forgive you!_ ”

”Oh, if only I still had my magic stick. I could have beaten awful Monokuma.” Usami mourned. Her confidence and playful nature was completely gone.

” _It’s your fault for leaving yourself open~_ ” Monokuma taunted. “ _Even the smallest opening can mean life or death on the battlefield~_ ”

Annoyingly, Jana had to agree with him on that point but only that one.

” _What’s with this stupid performance?!_ ” Fuyuhiko snapped.

She really wished he hadn’t. It was one thing to whisper to yourself like she had been doing because at least for a while, Monokuma hadn’t been paying attention to them. But now... Now they were in for it.

” _Who friggin’ knows._ ” Akane responded to Fuyuhiko.

” _Whatever this is, it’s obvious something bad is happening._ ” Chiaki added, looking in worry towards Usami.

” _W-Wha’? What is this? What’s going on?_ ” Teruteru piped up, shaking in his clothes much more noticeably than when Jana threatened him earlier.

” _And now she looks all weird._ ” Mahiru added, mimicking Chiaki and looking at Usami but not using her name. Why? Her name was Usami, not Monomi.

” _She looks like me now and you don’t like it? How insensitive._ ” Despite the phrasing and the way he hung his head, Jana doubted Monokuma truly felt hurt by Mahiru’s words.

” _Aaaaaahhh! There’s more of them!_ ” Ibuki screamed.

” _Wh-What does this mean for us? What exactly is that black and white demon?_ ” Peko asked, intense gaze focused on the bear.

” _Hey, I’m not a demon! I’m a bear, Monokuma!_ ”

” _I-I don’t really get it but now... There’s another stuffed animal?_ ” Kazuichi said aloud, maybe he was just thinking out loud? It sounded like something he was probably meaning to keep inside his head. “ _And it’s talking? How is that possible?_ ”

” _Grrr... I am not a stuffed animal! I am Monokuma, the Headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy!_ ” Monokuma grumbled to himself for a few moments as various students tried to understand how this... Thing could be their headmaster.

” _Anyway._ ” Monokuma continued. “ _You’ve all gathered. And as headmaster, I have a formal declaration to make. From this point on, the killing school trip shall now commence!_ ”

The... The what?

”S-Sonia... Could you please double check this was translated correctly.” Jana asked, gaze transfixed on Monokuma in outright terror as she held out her handbook to her friend. Sonia didn’t take it. She was even paler than before at the statement.

”N-no you really did just read that. T-this has become a killing school trip according to Monokuma.”

” _A school trip where everyone gets along is just so damn boring! So let’s begin this killing school trip with you, the contestants~_ ”

No one could move or even speak for a few moments there until Teruteru spoke. ” _U-us? Killing contestants?_ ”

” _NO!_ ” Usami yelled, breaking herself out of her misery and stepping towards Monokuma. “ _I will not allow a bloody event such as this!_ ” But Monokuma didn’t care one bit.

His leg snapped up and hit her straight in the face, sending the rabbit flying.

”Usami!” Jana cried out

” _OW!_ ” Usami yelled as she went flying. “ _It hurts when you kick me!_ ”

” _Oh Monomi, you have such a small brain. How many times do I have to tell you?_ ”

He wasn’t even using her proper name and he’d just hurt her. Yes the rabbit was suspicious and had taken them away from the school but she was harmless! She was making sure they were alright! Jana clenched her fists, biting back the urge to growl and attack Monokuma herself. She couldn’t let anyone see that and besides, who knew what the consequences would be?

” _Unless it’s a manga, the little sister is never more intelligent than the big brother._ ”

Usami soon went back to her moping.

“ _We got off topic there for a while, so allow me to explain the new trip rules~_ ” Monokuma stated, totally ignoring the rabbit.

” _W-what do you mean, k-killing school trip?_ ” Mikan fearfully asked. She was another one Jana wanted to protect and she would definitely do so in the future. Mikan was always so skittish but this was the most tense she had seen the nurse all day.

” _Isn’t it obvious? You guys are gonna try to kill each other._ ”

What?! Kill each other! But... Animals was one thing but other people?! Jana couldn’t do it. There was absolutely no way she was capable of that.

” _Oh, I see._ ” How was Kazuichi so calm?! “ _KILL EACH OTHER?!_ ” He screeched. Jana would be impressed at how high his voice went if the situation weren’t so dire.

” _An island life where you can’t leave unless you all get along is kinda boring, don’t you think? So now I want to change the rules! If you want to leave the island... Kill one of your friends! And then survive the class trial without being identified as the killer!_ ” Monokuma instructed, laughing with insane glee as the teeth on the black half became pointed.

They had to kill someone among them and not get caught? Commit a perfect crime? How could they?! Why should they?!

” _Class trial?_ ” Chiaki asked slowly.

” _Thaaaat’s right~ The class trial is the real charm of the trip! Allow me to explain more clearly. If one of you gets murdered, all surviving members must take part in the class trial. The killer will of course, be among you. It will be a big debate showdown between the blackened student and the other spotless students. You will present your arguements as to who you think the blackened is and then vote. The outcome will be based on the majority. Should you arrive at the correct answer, only the killer will be punished and the rest of you may enjoy your island life. But be warned, choose poorly... The killer will be the only survivor as the rest of you receive the punishment~_ ”

Only survivor? That... Didn’t sound good. That sounded like death was involved in the punishment.

” _So, get away with murder and you’ll live and get to leave this island~_ ” Monokuma added as one final statement.

Death was involved in the punishments! She was right!

” _What exactly is the punishment?_ ” Kazuichi asked slowly. He was as pale and tense as the rest of the class and sounded as if he didn’t really want to know. But they all had to know exactly what they were facing.

” _Oh well basically, it’s an execution._ ”

The bear spoke so calmly and casually about it, as if it were just a short detention. He would murder the student who was found guilty of murdering another student... He was mad! Jana’s free hand sought ought Sonia’s wrist, just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She could feel her friend shaking in her loose grip.

”E-Execution?” Sonia asked fearfully. Both girls yelped as Monokuma was suddenly in front of them, leering up at them, red eye glinting madly.

” _The pleasing punishment that follows the class trial~ It’s one of the perks of the killing school trip! Upupupu, what kind of spine chilling punishments will we see~? I’m already getting excited! There might even be some unique ones... Like impaling your head through an arcade machine claw!_ ” He told them gleefully before heading back to his spot in front of the statue. Jana felt a little sick at the mental image he’d given them.

” _Now, any method of killing is fine._ ”

The bear went on to list them but Jana tuned him out, she couldn’t listen to any more of this. She was scared and nauseous and wanted to go to sleep or just run somewhere. Anything to work all this off. She looked around, in front and behind her. Everyone looked scared and pale but all seemed to be denying the idea that they would kill someone. She snapped out of it when Sonia tapped her arm.

”You should listen... He seems to have a reason for us to want to kill each other.”

Sonia’s voice was so quiet and shaky. She could hear it crack every so often. Her friend was as terrified as she was. Akane, Nekomaru and Peko were all in fighting stances, facing Monokuma. Peko was the only one with a weapon, reaching for the sword strapped to her back.

” _You want force? I’ll fight back with force!_ ” Monokuma growled at them all before turning his back on them and facing the statue. “ _Surge, O gods who dwell between light and darkness. In accordance to our contract, I summon thee now! Come forth, Monobeasts!_ ”

* * *

  
At first, all was silent but then the statue rumbled and cracked to reveal five huge metal beasts all surrounding Monokuma. Sonia and Jana took several steps backwards, as did most of the class. Some silently, some gasping and others screaming. Jana couldn’t understand; this was supposed to be peaceful but now something had come out of nowhere and turned their already strange reality onto its head. She seemed to have totally zoned out again as suddenly, Usami was suddenly standing in front of them, tiny arms out stretched as if to shield them from the beasts and Monokuma... Monokuma was on the metallic beast with wings, screaming about punishment time. The winged beast stretched out revealing several gun turrets, aiming them all at the tiny rabbit. She was hit with bullet after bullet, and Jana could only watch, frozen in place by fear and her own senses being overloaded by the noise and the brightness of each shot. One bullet stayed too close to her and Sonia and she quickly pulled her friend out of its path. Sonia hadn’t even seen it but then, Jana’s eyes were better than most. There was soon nothing left of the rabbit except a little bow covered in bullet holes floating down before coming to rest on the park’s pavement.

”U-Usami?” Jana mumbled in complete shock, neither seeing nor smelling any sign of the rabbit.

The class was in uproar, all yelling out in fear and asking what the hell was going on. There was at least a little amusement from Jana as she saw that Gundam kept hamsters in his scarf but even they were frightened. Monokuma was just cackling and saying... Something. Jana had long since put away her handbook, she didn’t care what anyone said right now and why should she?! She’d just watched a gorgeous day become the beginnings of a fight for survival. She’d witnessed the death of a teacher figure who’d been kind of annoying but totally harmless. And anyway, Sonia would probably fill her in later... Or tomorrow. Everyone looked so tired and frightened and pale. Today had been so draining first from the excitement and then from the fear and the danger presented to them. Jana was tired too, her body felt heavy but at the same time, there was this big ball of anxiety in her chest and too much adrenaline running through her to be able to just go to sleep. She could see everyone staring at each other... Had someone said something? Jana wasn’t really in a good state of mind to bother following the conversation with her handbook.

* * *

  
Sonia tugged at her arm, leading the two of them back along the bridge to the first island and towards the cottages they’d seen by the hotel. There were little nameplates on each of the letterboxes now and Sonia stopped outside of her own one, dully wishing Jana a good night and pointing her to her own cottage. Across from Sonia’s own and then two doors to the right. Jana headed there, heading inside and spending all of a minute just sitting on the comfortable bed. She couldn’t just stay still, she had to move, she had to stop thinking about Usami’s death and the fact that leaving the island meant killing someone else. Jana slipped off her jacket, boots and left her e-handbook on the little table beside her bed before quietly heading back outside into the night air. She turned to face the hotel, intending to just walk that way to get to... Well Jana didn’t actually know where she wanted to go. All she knew was that she couldn’t sleep and her thoughts were racing out of control and she just needed some space to think and calm down. Hajime was there by the pool. Sitting hunched over something and looking about as troubled as she was. While she wanted to go and comfort him as he seemed like a nice enough boy, Jana had to put herself first this time.

Turning silently back towards the cottages, she jogged down the path that separated the boys from the girls and kept going towards a large brick wall with a gate that was currently locked for the night. Didn’t matter to her. Jana put as much power into her legs as she could and jumped, grabbing the gate’s handles and pulling herself up to grab the top then dropping down the other side. Back onto the beach. Jana kept jogging for a few moments, waiting until she was hopefully out of view of the cameras before breaking into a full out run. She ran faster than any person, bare feet hitting the sand hard but she didn’t mind the sensation. Her grey eyes became a rich golden amber and black veins crawled up her face and along the backs of her hands as she ran and left the cottages and the cameras behind. Then suddenly, instead of human feet, red furred paws were hitting the sand. Instead of a red haired person running along the coast, the silhouette of a lithe and powerful wolf was running across the night time horizon and towards the bridge leading to Jabberwock park. Jana didn’t slow down as she crossed the wooden bridge, she didn’t slow until she was within the park once again when she screeched to a halt and started to sniff the air. A scent. She wanted a scent. She was determined to find somethi- there! There by the statue! She was hunched a little as she approached, sniffing cautiously and ears pricked to take in any sounds that might be a cue to run. But she reached the little perforated bow without any trouble and let out a loud, mournful howl before shifting back to her human form in the blink of an eye. There was no flash of light, no smoke, no complicated transformation sequence, she was simply a human in one breath and a wolf the next. Jana picked up the bow, holding it close to her chest before gently tucking it into her jeans pocket and running back, remaining human so she didn’t lose her little treasure.

Once back at her cottage, Jana found all of the things she’d packed for Hope’s Peak and found her favourite light pajamas. Usami’s bow was placed in a drawer in her bedside table and Jana finally found it in her to drift into an uneasy sleep.


	6. Chapter 1: Sun, Sea and Monochrome - Daily Life Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get some quality time to get to know Jana a little bit. Just as the game is told from Hajime's perspective, this tale will be told from Jana's perspective. We will only see and know what she sees and knows which means there will be times where she hangs back and doesn't speak up as much but other times, she'll be in the centre of the action, perhaps even doing things that don't appear in the game at all.

Jana was awoken by the obnoxious school bell and Monokuma appearing in her room. She yelped and crouched low on her bed, eyes golden and teeth bared as she snarled only to realise that she hadn’t really observed her room last night and he had only appeared on the monitor in her room. She headed to her bathroom and stood in front of the small cabinet mirror she found there, breathing deeply and watching her reflection. As soon as golden gave way to blue-grey, Jana grabbed a towel and her clothes to shower and start her day. Once clean and dressed, Jana found she just wanted to stay in her cottage where it was safe just for a little longer. She could pretend that this was an unorthodox school trip for a while longer and maybe flick through the rules on her handbook again and maybe reread everyone’s names and all those notes about honorifics. Whilst flicking through the rules, Jana discovered that it didn’t stop at Usami’s rules; new pages had been added.

**Rule 5: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.  
Rule 6: If the blackened is exposed, they alone will be executed.  
Rule 7: If the blackened is not exposed, the remaining students will be executed.  
Rule 8: As a reward, the surviving blackened will be forgiven for their crime and allowed to leave the island.  
Rule 9: The Body Discovery Announcement will play when three or more people discover a body for the first time.  
Rule 10: Destroying any property on the island is strictly prohibited. This includes all monitors and surveillance cameras.  
Rule 11: You are free to explore the island at your own discretion. You are not limited in this regard.  
Additional rules may be added as needed at the headmaster’s discretion.**

So many new rules... She was more than a little disturbed that Monokuma probably already had prerecorded messages for the off chance someone was murdered. Was he really expecting them to just give in and start killing? And the idea of execution... Did he already have them planned out? Were there sealed off areas where they would take place perhaps?

”Maybe I shouldn’t think about this... I’ll want to run away from my problems again and I can’t risk being seen during the day.” Jana told herself before sighing in frustration and sadness. “Speaking of the day, I’d better face it. I may be without a pack but I can’t just hide away like this.”

Her words didn’t really help but she heard her doorbell ring so she had no choice but to get up now.

Outside was the slender form of Peko. She looked as calm as ever this morning, Jana never would have known that the girl was just as frightened as everyone else last night. She had a very good poker face.

”Oh damn, one minute.” She told Peko, holding up a finger to indicate for her to wait as she dashed back to her bedside table and swiped up her handbook. She chose her setting and held it up so Peko could see the screen.

”Good morning, Pekoyama-san.”

” _You’ve started using honorifics?_ ” Peko questioned curiously.

”Sonia gave me a crash course yesterday after I heard Nagito using them. Komaeda-san, I mean.”

Peko gave her a small nod of understanding. “ _I don’t think anyone will mind if you slip up once in a while. Japanese isn’t your first language after all._ ”

She felt relieved at the second reassurance she’d heard relating to her attempts at manners. “That’s good to know. Was there something you needed?”

” _Everyone has gathered at the hotel restaurant. I still need to fetch Hinata and Souda but please go ahead. I believe Nevermind is already there and is worried about you._ ”

Jana nodded and turned away to head towards the restaurant. “Thanks, Peko... Yama-san.”

The cottages were maybe a five minute walk from the hotel so Jana was soon jogging up the wooden stairs on the side of the hotel to get to the restaurant. True to her word, everyone else apart from Hajime and Souda was already here all sat at different tables and looking at the banquet laid out for them however... No one was actually eating.

”Jana!” Sonia called, waving her over and Jana happily joined her.

”I heard I made you worry, I’m sorry. I had a hard time getting up this morning.” Jana explained, giving Sonia a small nervous smile.

”Could you not sleep either?” Now that she looked, Jana could see small sleep bags under Sonia’s eyes. She shook her head.

”I don’t think anyone here slept much.”

Peko arrived up the stairs from the lobby, informing the group that Hajime and Kazuichi were on their way. Not even a minute later, Hajime arrived from the same direction... Alone.

” _You’re late._ ” Byakuya immediately pointed out. “ _And where is Souda? We were informed he was with you._ ”

Hajime didn’t look much better than anyone else this morning, if anything, Jana thought he looked worse. He stood there, keeping his gaze on the wooden floor and mumbled a reply.

” _He kind of... Ran off somewhere._ ”

” _Where?_ ” Akane asked.

” _I dunno. He just said he was running away but-_ ”

” _There’s no where for him to run to, what a weirdo!_ ” Hiyoko piped up from the back, barely concealing a cruel smirk behind her tiny hand. Oh the things Jana wanted to say to that girl.

” _Considering what we witnessed yesterday, his behaviour is understandable._ ” Nekomaru added, folding his arms and frowning a little. From what Jana had learned about him so far, he was good at reading people and his huge form didn’t match his soft compassionate personality at all.

” _O-oh? Did something happen yesterday?_ ” Teruteru stuttered from his seat somewhere in front of Jana. “ _Don’t remember anything happening yesterday, everything was faked._ ”

She could smell the sweat and hear his racing heart from where she was sitting. Teruteru was absolutely lying and was terrified.

”Is he still in denial?” Jana quietly asked Sonia.

”I am afraid so. But then, could you accept everything that happened yesterday so quickly?”

”...I see your point.”

” _So why exactly have you gathered us here?_ ” Mahiru asked to move on the conversation topic.

Byakuya just looked at her, contemplating his answer before rolling his eyes. “ _Not until Souda gets here. Everyone needs to be present._ ”

Everyone? “What kind of thing were you hoping to discuss with everyone, Togami-san?” Jana asked, speaking up a little so that she would be heard and holding up her handbook with her translated question for them to read.

” _Oh, Byakuya-chan has something he wants to tell us!_ ” Ibuki excitedly informed Jana.

” _It’s strategy talk for defeating those monsters!_ ” Akane announced only to be countered by a shy reply from Mikan.

” _B-But it had guns and weapons and is huge. T-there’s no way we can defeat that thing... I-it’s impossible!_ ”

” _Show some fighting spirit!_ ” Nekomaru roared. “ _Anything is possible with fighting spirit!_ ”

” _Such a bold boast._ ” Came a deep voice from the corner table behind Jana and Sonia.

Both girls whirled round to see Gundam... So that was where he was... Jana also realised she hadn’t actually heard him speak yet and next to her, Sonia was blushing a little. She could understand why, he had a very silky smooth voice.

“ _However, allow me to share some advice with you. Those who possess true strength, do not raise their voices so recklessly._ ”

That gave her some food for thought; she really wanted to know what he meant by that. She would have to ask him at some point. Hiyoko however, just rolled her eyes. ” _Let’s get talking already!_ ”

” _Saionji, please don’t make me repeat myself. I will speak when everyone is here._ ” Byakuya reminded the tiny girl. “ _And that includes the coward._ ” Well that was a little backhanded.

” _Ugh jeez, I’ll go find him and bring him back myself._ ” Mahiru groaned, standing up and making her way to the stairs. Jana also got to her feet.

”I’ll help, if you like. Two sets of eyes are better than one and this is a big place.” She almost felt like Mahiru was assessing her as those greyish eyes focused on her but then she shrugged.

” _Alright, thank you._ ”

Mahiru didn’t even wait until they were outside before she launched into a plan but Jana had tucked her handbook back into her pocket and had to frantically wave her hands around to get the girl to stop talking.

”I don’t speak Japanese at all, Koizumi-san. Next time, could you please wait until I have my handbook in my hand?” She gently reminded Mahiru who looked a little annoyed but nodded in understanding.

” _I’m sorry, I forgot for a second. I just want to get this done fast._ ”

”No, it’s alright. So what was your plan?”

” _I say we split up and we search in different directions._ ” Mahiru explained. “ _I’ll take the ranch and the beach, you take the market and the airport?_ ”

Jana nodded in agreement before taking off at a steady jog, occasionally looking behind her to see if Mahiru was looking. She waited until she was about halfway to the supermarket before heading into the trees and crouching down. No cameras were nearby, thankfully and this might be a good place to release stress in the future because of that. She could probably find Kazuichi very quickly but she wasn’t sure if she had enough of a connection for this little trick to be useful and successful. She hadn’t really memorised his scent either so tracking him would be a little difficult. But she wouldn’t know if she didn’t try. Jana rested her hand on the grass, closing her eyes and breathing deeply for a few moments, picturing Souda with his shark-like teeth, crazy pink hair and mechanic’s jumpsuit as clearly as she could. When she opened her eyes again, they were golden once more but she wasn’t really seeing the grass beneath her hands and feet; she was seeing the entire island in her mind’s eye, blurring past as if she were flying. She could see Mahiru running towards the ranch, she could see everyone sneakily digging into the feast at the hotel whenever Byakuya wasn’t looking... Now she was hungry... She focused harder, she needed to find Kazuichi. Finally, she saw him, sitting in the airport and fiddling with the innards of the conveyor belt. Straightening up, Jana broke the connection with the island and waited a few moments for the gold in her irises to fade before running as fast as she could towards the airport. Hopefully, whoever was watching from the cameras would just dismiss her speed as a glitch or something. She wasn’t a blur, not even close to that but she definitely ran faster than humanly possible and was only slightly out of breath by the time she reached the airport.

* * *

  
Just as she saw, Kazuichi was there at the back, crouching in front of the conveyor belt and nervously fiddling with its inner workings. From here, he looked incredibly tense and she could hear him mumbling to himself and occasionally sniffling so she cleared her throat before calling out to him so she didn’t startle him.

”Hi.”

He turned around and- “AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” He shrieked, making Jana cover her ears at the noise.

”Calm down, it’s only me!” She snapped at him. She hadn’t slept well and she really hadn’t needed that assault on her hearing.

”O-oh... Jana... Hey.” He said, much calmer and in English seeing as he was one of the three people besides Jana who spoke the language with any decency. “What’re you doing here?”

”Byakuya wanted to tell everyone something but wouldn’t say it until you were there.” Jana explained, approaching Kazuichi and taking a seat on the floor next to him. “And what about you? Why the airport?”

”Things to mess with and take my mind off things for a while.” Kazuichi explained as he turned his attention back to the conveyor belt. “I’m the Super High School Level Mechanic, ya know, messing with stuff like this is what I’m all about.”

”That makes sense.” Jana replied, falling silent for a few moments. “You know, Sonia and I use Ultimate when it’s just us.”

”Instead of Super High School Level?” Kazuichi asked before trying it out himself. “Huh... Ultimate Mechanic... Rolls of the tongue better.”

”And it’s less of a mouthful.” Jana agreed, smiling at him and getting a smile from him in return. She could see him loosening up; he wasn’t so tense and he was actually facing her when he spoke now.

”Oh hey, I never asked what your talent was.” Kazuichi said making Jana falter for a moment as she tried to recall the lie she’d told Sonia about her talent.

”Alpha. I’m the Super High School Level or Ultimate Alpha. Started as a joke and then when Hope’s Peak scouted me out, they took it seriously but I guess Alpha sounds less intimidating than Leader.” Jana explained.

”Well that’s barely an explanation.” Kazuichi called her out on that and folded his arms, the wrench he was using stowed away in his pocket. Jana laughed.

”Okay, okay. So I come from a long line of travelers, we’re never in one place for too long, we just have to keep moving. It’s myself, my father and some other travelers we met along the way; safety in numbers and all that. We tended to stick to forests and wooded areas so we ran into wildlife a lot and sometimes even did our best to heal wounded animals unless it was out of our skill range, then we let nature take its course.”

”That’s kind of bad.”

”Not really, that’s just how the wild works. But anyway, wolves seemed particularly attracted to me and I had a habit of stumbling across a lot of animal habitats and lost young and injured mothers. It became a joke that I was secretly an Alpha wolf and we soon started to refer to our family as the pack. It just became perfectly natural especially when my father could no longer lead us so I stepped up. I drew more travellers into the family, I met people with traveler backgrounds but had chosen to live in towns and cities and I made the effort to try to teach them their history and culture so they at least had an understanding of that part of their ancestry. I just had this way with people... And Hope’s Peak saw that.”

Kazuichi listened carefully, mulling over her words before nodding and smiling again. “Okay, that makes sense in a weird kind of way.”

”Thank you. Now then, ready to head back?” She asked, getting to her feet and brushing down her jeans. He groaned and whined but closed the hatch on the conveyor belt and reluctantly got to his feet.

”I guess... Hey, who else was lookin’ for me?”

”Oh, it was Mahiru’s idea and I volunteered to help.”

Kazuichi grimaced. “Okay, I’d rather walk with you than her. She seems kind of strict, in a nagging mother kind of way.”

Jana could only nod in agreement.

* * *

  
They met Mahiru on the way back to the restaurant and she was not happy that they hadn’t waited for her. Kazuichi tried to explain that they were hungry and had no way of knowing where she was in her search but she wasn’t having any of it and dragged him by his sleeve back to the restaurant. Jana was behind the two of them, trying to calm Mahiru down but they had soon arrived.

” _Thanks for waiting, everyone, I found him._ ” Mahiru said but Jana quickly cut in.

”Actually, I found him at the airport and we met Mahi-... Koizumi-san on the way back.”

Mahiru gave Jana a look that wasn’t really a glare but it wasn’t really happy either. This girl was headstrong, she was proud and she reminded Jana of herself. Maybe her opinion of Mahiru would change if she got to know her but right now, Jana only saw another Alpha trying to step on her toes. Mahiru broke the stare down first, focusing instead on Kazuichi.

” _Hey, straighten up! A man like you shouldn’t slouch, you should be embarrassed._ ”

”Oh will you back off?” Jana snapped back before Kazuichi could speak. Everyone had been on his case and it wasn’t even nine in the morning yet! “He was freaked out by everything that happened yesterday. How he deals with things is none of your business.”

It took everything Jana had to not make a show of aggression and dominance over Mahiru as she stood in the photographer’s face. It would be so easy to let her wolf out, to bare her teeth and growl and flash her eyes to put Mahiru in her place but instead, Jana simply clenched her fists and pushed back against the tingling feeling across her skin. She would be a silent Alpha, a hidden Alpha, she would protect and guard and lead from the sidelines because she absolutely could not give up the secret.

” _Can you just stop pulling on my sleeve before you rip it?_ ” Kazuichi grumbled as he tugged his arm from Mahiru’s grip and went to find a seat. It coaxed Jana and Mahiru to stop their rivalry and head to seats of their own as they hadn’t eaten yet.

” _Are you gonna be okay, Souda?_ ” Hiyoko’s childish voice asked and this time, Jana wasn’t fooled by the seemingly innocent question. “ _Cowards like you are usually the first victims in situations like these, you know~_ ”

Kazuichi’s face fell and he stood up to retort but there was a great crash and everyone turned towards the sound. As it turned out, Mikan was on the floor on her back, ankles tied together with cables with her legs up in the air and her uniform and skirt falling, flashing her underwear at the rest of the class.

” _Oh... Oh no no no no._ ” Mikan said, tears forming in her eyes. “ _I... I-I tripped!_ ” She squeaked

” _Can you even call that tripping?_ ” Hajime asked. At least he had the decency to wince a little in second hand embarrassment.

” _How in the world did you trip and end up in that compromising position?_ ” Byakuya asked in pure confusion as Jana wormed her way through the crowd to pick up Mikan’s sneakers which had somehow come off of her feet when she ‘tripped’.

” _Well I don't know about the rest of you but it certainly makes me, happy~_ ” Teruteru piped up.

”My threat from yesterday still stands!” Jana snapped at him as she picked up the sock that Mikan was missing. She was surprised to hear Kazuichi translate before Sonia could.

” _N-Nooooo p-please help me! I’m so embarrassed!_ ” Mikan complained.

” _Awwwww she looks so adorable when she’s embarrassed~_ ” Ibuki exclaimed which surprised Jana and several of the others. Ibuki didn’t seem like the type to enjoy this kind of embarrassment what with how friendly and warm she seemed to be. Then again, she was also kind of blunt. ” _It’s soooo moe~ I’m practically snorting with joy!_ ”

Moe? The word didn’t translate properly on her translator so she would have to ask Sonia or Kazuichi about that later.

” _W-We should help her up._ ” Mahiru stated, untying the cables wrapped around Mikan’s ankles and helping the nurse get back to her feet. Once Mikan was up again, Jana handed her her sneakers and sock.

” _Are you alright, Tsumiki-san?_ ” Nagito asked.

” _Uggghhh... My head is throbbing a little but I-I’m okay._ ” Mikan replied slowly. “ _Oh, thank you, Vilkas-san._ ”

” _That’s beyond clumsiness._ ” Mahiru commented as Mikan started tying the laces on her sneakers. “ _That fall was more like a magic trick._ ”

” _Since everyone’s here now, will you tell us what you wanted to say, Togami-san?_ ” Chiaki asked politely. “ _I’m getting sleepy again..._ ”

Jana could almost see Chiaki’s eyes drooping closed and her head falling onto her chest. She didn’t even want to ask how the girl was so tired considering no one had slept well.

” _I’m not really ready to stop eating breakfast-_ ”

Oh right, breakfast was something Jana hadn’t had yet so she wandered over to the tables covered in food only to discover that she didn’t actually recognise very much. There was some cereal, sure, but she wasn’t really in the mood for cereal.

” _But you’re right, I should begin my talk._ ” She heard Byakuya say as she browsed the food. Jana heard Sonia come up behind her and felt her tap her shoulder.

”Here, I saved a plate of safer things for you to try.” Sonia said, pointing to the plate she’d kept while Jana had been out helping Mahiru look for Kazuichi. “This is miso soup and some steamed rice and this is basically a rolled up omelette and I included some grilled fish and a few shrimps as I hear that many British people enjoy bacon for breakfast. Fish and shrimp is not the same but it is meat nonetheless.” Sonia explained, pointing out everything for Jana. The red head was touched at the gesture and put the plate down on the table before giving a Sonia a grateful hug.

”Thank you, that’s so sweet of you.” She said before grabbing the plate again to eat. It would mean she wouldn’t have any hands free to read translations on her handbook so Sonia stepped in again, quietly translating for her.

* * *

  
“ _First, I have a question for you all._ ” Byakuya began. “ _Monokuma has ordered that we kill each other so under these very strange circumstances, what do you think we need right at this moment?_ ”

”Some damn breakfast?” Jana whispered in between bites of rolled up omelette.

”Jana, I do not wish to miss anything while I translate for you.” Sonia whispered though she was struggling to hide her amusement at Jana’s comment.

” _Who the fuck knows? Get to the point already, damnit._ ” Fuyuhiko grumbled and Jana couldn’t help but snicker a little as Sonia stumbled over his chosen swear and tried to replace it with something a little more princess-like.

” _Hurry up and answer and I will get to the point._ ” Byakuya calmly replied.

” _Food and sleep obviously._ ” Akane answered, her eyes still drifting over to her own full plate of food.

Jana was quick to duck behind the pillar so she wouldn’t be spotted eating when she wasn’t supposed to be; not that Byakuya could tell her what to do. He had the makings of a good leader but he wasn’t her Alpha. Only one person in the entire world had that honour.

” _And shitting._ ” Nekomaru added making both Jana and Sonia cringe at his bluntness. They really didn’t need to hear that and Sonia didn’t even manage to think of a good replacement word in time.

” _Which means the answer to Togami’s question is a good appetite, a good night’s rest and a good shit!_ ” He needed to just stop talking... And yelling.

Apparently Byakuya was thinking along the same lines as he fixed Nekomaru with a deadpan expression before sighing and returning his attention to the group as a whole. “ _Does anyone have a legitimate answer to my question?_ ”

” _A bond, perhaps?_ ” Nagito quickly answered. Had he been stewing on that the entire time? Everyone looked at the white haired boy and waited for him to explain. “ _Well as far as I believe, as long as all of us talented students can work together, we can accomplish anything. And then we’ll be able to create a hope that can overcome any despair thrown at us._ ” He spoke so confidently as he shared his thoughts, such confidence coming from a boy who looked strangely innocent was weirdly inspiring and Jana found herself agreeing with him. If they just agreed not to do anything stupid like playing directly into Monokuma’s paws, they would be fine and perhaps find a peaceful way to leave the island. “ _So I believe that we need to promise to work together if we wish to escape._ ”

While most of the group turned Nagito’s words over in their heads, Hiyoko totally ignored him and spoke up, giggling behind her hand. ” _Woooooowwww and he said all that with a straight face. How is he not embarrassed?_ ”

She wasn’t going to snap... She wasn’t going to snap... She wasn’t going to walk up to the brat and pin her to the floor and put the bratty little cub in her place. Nope. Jana was just going to breathe and finish her breakfast and listen to Sonia translate the conversation around her. But Nagito seemed to take it in his stride, holding up his hands in mock surrender and smiling gently whilst laughing nervously.

” _I agree, it was a little lame._ ”

” _But you do have a point._ ” Peko stated from her chosen spot. “ _The rules Monokuma enforces cause us to be suspicious of one another and will only lead us to being counter-productive in leaving peacefully._ ”

Byakuya nodded in agreement as he listened to Nagito and Peko share their ideas before cutting in again. “ _That was a very good answer, Komaeda-san, it’s impossible to face this enemy as individuals but our chances of success will be greater if we unite as a group. However, a simple bond won’t be enough to unite us. That is very easy-going and optimistic. The answer I was looking for was a leader._ ”

And now Jana was agreeing with Byakuya. The group did need a leader, someone who made the choices when no one else could and make sure rivalries and disagreements didn’t separate them. Jana set her empty plate down and was about to speak up when she remembered that, as much as she wanted to take the leadership position, she couldn’t. She didn’t speak a word of Japanese, she relied on her translator (which she really needed to take back out of her pocket now that her hands were free) and if everyone was constantly watching her, her secret had a higher risk of being exposed. With the not quite conquered language barrier standing in her way and not really being well known in Ultimate student circles, she would be laughed right out of the restaurant. No, she had to allow someone else to take that role and continue in her self appointed position as the invisible Alpha... Besides, it sounded like Byakuya had his eyes on being a leader. She missed what Nekomaru said as she booted up her handbook, opened her translator app and set it to the right setting but was just in time to catch Byakuya’s words.

” _Rejoice for I shall take the position._ ” It was almost as though Jana was psychic. “ _Now then, with the introduction wrapped up, let’s move on to the main question._ ”

* * *

  
” _Wait a second!_ ” Mahiru called out and Jana just had to roll her eyes. It was like the girl couldn’t be happy. She’d done a nice thing with helping Mikan so quickly but good grief, did she ever stop complaining?

” _What is it?_ ”

” _You’re being too forceful with this leadership thing._ ” Now Jana was utterly confused by Mahiru. Earlier, she chewed Kazuichi out about walking with a slouch and running off because he wasn’t acting like a man and now she was telling Byakuya that he was being too forceful and shouldn’t be the leader? “ _Who decided to make you the leader, why does it have to be you? No one voted, you just appointed yourself._ ” She actually had a point there.

Jana was mostly happy for Byakuya to lead them as he seemed very calm and had an intelligent head on his shoulders but that didn’t mean the others shared her feelings.

” _Other than myself, who is more fit to lead?_ ” Byakuya asked Mahiru, folding his arms and giving her a confident smirk. Jana had no idea what that meant as she really only knew everyones’ names and the only talent she knew of was Nagito’s, Sonia’s and Kazuichi’s as they’d come up in conversation. “ _I am the Super High School Level Scion of the Togami household and as such, I’m destined to stand above all others._ ”

Scion? Jana wasn’t familiar with the word. She’d have to ask Sonia later.

” _T-there you go again! Your attitude is too forceful!_ ” Mahiru argued back.

” _Koizumi-san, please wait._ ” It seemed that Nagito would be playing as the group’s peace-keeper as he stepped in between the two arguing students. “ _Togami-san is being a little forceful, it’s true, but given the situation, his forcefulness is part of his duty to keep us united. To a certain degree at least._ ”

What was it about this boy that seemed to calm everyone down? He just had that aura about him or optimism and happy-go-lucky as Mahiru stood down. ” _That’s true... I guess... But if all we need is someone to lead then why can’t Sonia-chan step in?_ ”

Mahiru asked though she was much quieter now, as if she wasn’t really fighting back with everything she had like a few moments ago.

” _Actually, I cannot lead this group as I am only a figurehead._ ” Sonia said with a bashful smile.

”So then, he must have leadership qualities if he’s willing to step up at the first sign of trouble.” Jana pointed out.

” _So why didn’t you step up?_ ” Kazuichi asked, surprising her with his question. “ _You told me earlier that you were a leader for a while. Hell, your title even means leader!_ ”

He stuck with Japanese for the rest of the group as he spoke and Sonia eagerly nodded in agreement. She saw something in Kazuichi’s eyes light up as he spotted Sonia agreeing with him... Maybe it was just the light.

”Th-That’s true...” Jana began. She quickly switched the settings so that the group could read her translated words. “B-But it was only a few months and I just made sure we didn’t trespass anywhere and spoke on behalf of my family and friends to various members of authority to stop them from worrying about what we might do. Leading a group of travelers is very different compared to leading a group of teenagers stuck on an island with a murderous stuffed toy.” Though she was a little shaky to start off with as she tried to figure out how to word her lie so it coincided with what she’d already told Sonia and Kazuichi, Jana gained confidence. Instead of slouching a little, she stood tall and proud as she spoke, looking everyone right in the eye. “Besides, I don’t have a problem with Togami-san being the leader.” Apart from her instincts as an Alpha that will probably drive her crazy after a few days. “I think he’ll do a good job.”

” _Well spoken, Vilkas-san._ ” Nagito praised her with his easy going smile. “ _Togami-san most definitely has the necessary qualities to take on the role under such difficult circumstances._ Are you sure that you, as an Alpha, will not fight back?”

That last part was in English... It was aimed at her personally and she knew that Sonia and Kazuichi both understood English and would probably be very confused. Jana fixed him with a look, trying to figure out what exactly he was implying. A small part of her panicked, did he know? He couldn’t know... She’d been so careful so far.

”Byakuya will make a fine leader.” She said with a tone of finality, speaking only to Nagito hence the use of Byakuya’s first name.

The air was suddenly thick with a tension that no one could really understand or describe probably because no one was sure why things were so tense. Jana didn’t really understand it either and she was in the middle of it; Nagito hadn’t really insulted her and her pride didn’t feel bruised, she didn’t feel the instinct to snap back or try to assert her dominance and she was sure that he was still unaware of her secret. So what was it about him and his words that had her on edge?

” _W-well..._ ” Mahiru said, maybe to break the tension or maybe for another reason. “ _If everyone’s okay with Togami being the leader... Then I guess I am too._ ”

” _Well then, since we have made our decision, you have no reason to fear. I won’t allow anyone to become a victim._ ”

It was a bold statement and Jana found herself believing it. Maybe because she was scared of what was to come, maybe because she was still reeling from Kazuichi trying to put her in the leadership position or maybe there was no real reason for it. Byakuya wasn’t about to let anyone become a victim. Jana could believe this whole heartedly.

” _Now that that’s settled, to the main topic. I have something I’d like to show you all at the Park. Please meet there._ ” And off he ran with surprising speed and agility for someone of his size. Jana and Sonia were blind sided by Mahiru as they left with Hajime bumping into them.

* * *

  
” _Oh no... You too, Hinata-san?!_ ” Sonia exclaimed as Hajime stood there in surprise. Jana suspected he’d been lost in his thoughts and had forgotten that other people moving around was a thing.

” _Huh?_ ”

” _Ah... Koizumi-san has requested that I take the leadership position._ ” Sonia explained to the confused boy as Jana quietly seethed. Mahiru just couldn’t make her mind up and was a nag and was just as forceful as Byakuya, maybe more so and now she was pulling this.

” _His forcefulness is a red flag._ ” Mahiru defended herself. “ _Please just think about it a little more, Sonia-chan. Don’t you think you should be the leader?_ ”

” _But I have already explained that I would be ill-suited to the role._ ” Sonia graciously explained. “ _However, I believe that Togami-san has the qualities of a very effective leader. I actually agree with Jana-chan’s points._ ”

” _Really?_ ” Mahiru asked in surprise, gaze flickering between the other two girls and still ignoring Hajime who seemed to still be confused. Jana was surprised at hearing Sonia use ‘chan’ for her so soon. That was a good thing, right?

” _He spoke of being destined to rule over others, do you not remember that? He is attempting to fulfill that destiny with the fortitude of his own willpower. With a stature and physique like his, surely that is a testament to his desire to fulfill his title, is it not?_ ”

“ _It’s definitely one way of looking at it._ ” Hajime said slowly.

” _Sonia-chan, when you put it like that, it makes sense._ ” Mahiru admitted and Jana hoped that the girl would actually stick with it this time. Byakuya was pretty forceful but he wouldn’t be a bad leader and he was the only one with the desire to step up and assume the role. “ _Alright, I understand. I’m sorry for being pushy about it._ ”

” _Oh no, Koizumi-san, it is alright. It is simply a matter of royal discretion._ ”

* * *

  
The four of them ended up being the last to arrive at the park somehow. Maybe Akane took the other stairs instead of passing through the hotel lobby because Jana didn’t see her pass by when Sonia and Mahiru were talking. Jana noted that the monobeasts were blocking the gates to the other islands and she was very nervously watching them as they headed to the park. Passing them all the time would not be a fun experience. Byakuya said... Something... Jana wasn’t sure what as her handbook was back in her pocket and her gaze was transfixed on the podium where the statues once stood because the podium was no longer empty. In it’s place was a huge black construction with a tiny ball on either side resembling bear ears and a red stripe resembling Monokuma’s jagged right eye. Gigantic cogs spun beneath it and there was a digital face in the very centre with numbers slowly counting and a smaller display just above it though that didn’t move. The second smaller display was labelled ‘Days Left’ and currently displayed the number twenty one. Twenty one days left... Until what? Everyone probably had something to say so Jana pulled herself out of her thoughts and brought out her handbook again to listen.

” _T-The clock._ ” Hajime stuttered, wide-eyed as he observed the contraption towering over them. “ _It’s counting down!_ ”

” _This... Was this here last night?_ ” Mahiru asked and her response came from Nekomaru.

” _No, I’m fairly certain it wasn’t._ ”

” _I found it this morning when I was doing one more exploration._ ” Byakuya informed the group. “ _As for when it actually got here, I’m afraid I don’t know._ ”

” _Perhaps this is Monokuma’s work._ ” Peko pointed out and Jana could see where the conclusion would come from. It looked a little like him. “ _What do you think the countdown means?_ ”

Ibuki scratched at her chin for a few seconds before giving up with a groan. “ _No idea._ ”

” _Nothing to do with me, don’t understand it so I refuse to believe this is happening._ ” Teruteru said, nervously fixing his hair and making Jana roll her eyes. How long was he going to be in denial?

” _Could it be..._ ” Nekomaru said, perhaps meaning to keep his words to himself but speaking aloud by mistake. “ _A bomb?_ ”

Unfortunately for him, Kazuichi was stood right next to him and promptly panicked. “ _A... A B-B-B-B-B-BOMB?!?!_ ” He screamed.

”Souda-san, calm down. Maybe there’s a way to stop it from going off.” Jana tried to say though it didn’t work because it implied that the bomb was still going to go off and only made him panic more. ”Look, if someone wanted to blow up the island, they would’ve done so already. There’s a countdown, that obviously means something.”

” _T-Then what is it counting down to?_ ” Mikan asked, wringing her hands anxiously and playing with the ends of the bandage wrapped around her left hand and forearm.

” _Such a mysterious mystery._ ” A familiar warm and squeaky voice said and Jana turned around, keeping her gaze low until she spotted a familiar pair of ears.

”Usami! You’re okay!” Jana exclaimed though several of the girls were startled at the rabbit’s sudden reappearance, making Usami squeak with fright too.

” _M-Monomi?_ ” Hajime asked slowly in complete shock. Why? Why was everyone calling her Monomi? That was just the name the stupid bear gave her, it wasn’t her real name!

” _Why are you here?_ ” Mahiru questioned, stumbling over her words a little.

” _I was patrolling and then I heard everyone talking so I came right over._ ” Usami explained with a smile.

Ibuki wasn’t all that convinced. “ _No no no no no, not that. Didn’t... Monokuma kill you?_ ”

” _Oooohhhh I see, that’s why you’re all so surprised. Hehehe, you don’t have to worry about that any more! I can’t die!_ ” Usami explained, holding her little paws to her face and giggling adorably.

” _I see._ ” Gundam said from somewhere behind Jana and Sonia. “ _Then you are an abomination brought unto this world via black magic. Do you wish to become my thrall?!_ ”

“ _Monomi’s a robotic stuffed animal, right?_ ” Chiaki pointed out. “ _So wouldn’t that mean that she can’t die?_ ”

” _That’s true._ ” Kazuichi added. “ _As long as she had spares, she’d be just fine._ ”

” _A... A spare?_ ” Usami sniffed. “ _Such a mean thing to say._ ”

” _That is no concern of ours but since you’re here, I have a question for you._ ” Byakuya stepped up to the rabbit, not even bothering to crouch down as he loomed above her. “ _What’s the meaning behind this timer and countdown?_ ”

” _Huh? Countdown?_ ” Usami asked curiously and Jana bent down to tap her little shoulder and point to the contraption sitting on the pedestal where the statue used to be. Once she saw it, Usami squeaked again in fear and confusion. “ _Waaaahhh, what is that thing?! I... I’m very sorry but I don’t know what that is._ ”

” _You really have no idea?_ ” Peko asked. At least she kept her voice calm rather than demanding as Byakuya had done.

” _N-no... I really have no grasp of whatever it is Monokuma’s up to..._ ”

” _Really?_ ” Hiyoko questioned. “ _You don’t know even though you’re his little sister?_ ”

” _I’m not my brother’s, little sister!_ ” Usami denied quite firmly but Jana wasn’t so sure. It was the way it had been phrased and she heard Hajime muttering to himself about it too.

” _Anyway... Let’s do our best!_ ” Usami urged the group. “ _Let’s kick evil Monokuma off of this island and continue living in peace!_ ”

No one shared her enthusiasm and just gave her blank expressions until Byakuya spoke up and rather cruelly at that.

” _You don’t know what the countdown is so get lost. You’re useless to us._ ”

” _B-But... Together... Let’s..._ ” Usami mumbled in an attempt to get some of that enthusiasm back and maybe get some of the students back on her side.

” _I said, get lost!_ ” Byakuya snapped and the little rabbit disappeared.

”That was unnecessarily cruel, Togami.” Jana snapped at him, forgetting her manners in her irritation and forgetting to switch the settings on her handbook. The Scion had absolutely no idea what she’d just said.

” _I agree._ ” Sonia said after quickly translating for Jana as she had spotted the mistake as she was stood right next to her. “ _Perhaps you were a little too harsh. I am almost starting to feel sorry for it._ ”

”Sonia, not you too.” Jana whined. “Usami is just as alive as you and I. She at least tried to keep us safe.”

”I am sorry, Jana, I just do not fully trust the rabbit at this moment what with everything going on.”

”Miss Sonia!” Kazuichi piped up, deciding to butt in on their English conversation with his own knowledge of the language. “May I call you Miss Sonia? No, I insist on calling you Miss Sonia.”

He was being strangely bold compared to earlier and he didn’t really have great volume control. This wasn’t like the skittish mechanic she'd had a calm conversation with earlier this morning and unless Jana was mistaken, she could see a hint of pink in his cheeks and hear his heart skipping beats. Did he...? Well, maybe if he proved himself to be an okay guy and if Sonia showed she was interested, Jana might play a part in coaxing them together.

”You shouldn’t feel sorry for that thing, she’s obviously working with Monokuma.” And he just lost a few points.

The rest of the group looked a little confused and Jana had to chuckle a little so she switched the settings to tell them something.

”Now you know how I’ve been feeling since we all met in the classroom.” The text on her translator read. “At least I have this to help me get by.”

“ _Who cares about that damn stuffed animal?_ ” Fuyuhiko snapped, probably only recognising the name Monokuma in Kazuichi’s little speech and assuming they were talking about the demented bear. “ _That clock is more important._ ”

” _It’s very ominous, isn’t it?_ ” Byakuya commented, giving one more look over perhaps to see if he could figure out anything new. “ _Who put it here and how did they accomplish it in only a single night?_ ”

” _Meaning it doesn’t make any sense and is also deadly!_ ” Teruteru piped up, speaking in fake and forced happiness.

“ _And that’s not the only mystery here. This island is full of unimaginable mysteries. How the seventeen of us were brought to this island for example._ ”

” _It’s been bugging me too._ ” Kazuichi grumbled in response to Byakuya’s statement. “ _He’s right though, that’s a pretty big mystery._ ”

” _There’s more. Jabberwock island is known for being a tourist hotspot and resort destination so why is it now uninhabited?_ ”

* * *

  
Jabberwock Island was a tourist destination? That didn’t match up with what she had seen yesterday with Eolas. The place was well furnished, everything worked, there were plenty of supplies for them all but no people. Her first assumption was that the island had been prepared especially for them but if this was actually a popular tourist destination then why was it so devoid of life? The seventeen of them were the only people there which was highly irregular if this was a place that was usually swarming with tourists. They hadn’t seen a single member of staff in any of the facilities they’d found so far but the place looked clean, the shop was fully stocked and all electricals were functioning just fine. So there had to be people here to keep everything running, right? So where were they?

” _All civilizations fall eventually. Nothing begets existence and existence begets... Nothing._ ” Gundam commented, his eyes closed and his face betraying no emotion as he seemed to be deep in thought.

” _S-So... It collapsed?!_ ” Mikan fearfully asked.

” _Society is rather like fruit._ ” Sonia spoke up, seeming to follow the philosophical lines that Gundam was on. “ _Once it matures, it is inevitable that it will eventually rot. The economy grows, the private sector stagnates and elders and bureaucrats gain more power and once it becomes the status quo, it crushes the seeds of possible reformation._ ”

Jana got lost about halfway through that so tried to think about it another way. It was like... It was like a pack! A new member would upset the balance and leave as a traitor only to be hunted down and when a trusted member tried to bring them back to serve their just punishment... Actually she should stop there. That line of thinking only brought up unpleasant memories.

” _Maybe the Monobeasts killed everyone?_ ” Hiyoko was saying.

” _It’s a possibility to add to the list but we don’t know that for sure._ ” Byakuya replied as Nekomaru freaked out at the thought of thousands of people being killed by those things. “ _This mystery will have to remain a mystery for now._ ”

” _Everything here is full of mysteries!_ ” Ibuki whined.

” _You’re correct, mysteries on top of mysteries. However, with so many mysteries, I doubt this is the work of some no name group._ ”

”What exactly do you mean?” Jana asked slowly.

” _Yeah, what exactly are you trying to say?_ ” Hajime echoed her.

” _I mean that a large organization is likely behind the situation we’re in._ ”

” _An organization?_ ” Mikan asked. “ _Like who?_ ”

” _It would have to be one with technical skill to create Monokuma, Monomi and the Monobeasts._ ”

”Usami.” Jana grumpily corrected him. “Wasn’t originally working with him.”

” _You don’t know that, Vilkas._ ” Byakuya reminded her and Jana really had no reply to that so just huffed.

” _And the breakfast that was left for us._ ” Hajime slowly added on. “ _And how clean and well kept everything is. I think you might be right._ ”

” _They’d have the necessary funding for everything._ ” Kazuichi pointed out. “ _There’s no way they’re making this stuff for shits and giggles._ "

” _The cameras and monitors are probably watching us and controlling everything through those._ ” Byakuya continued as he nodded at the two boys and acknowledged their points.

” _Are these fiends hiding somewhere on the island then?_ ” Peko asked.

”I don’t think so. We’ve only been here a day and Monokuma only revealed himself last night but we’ve already reached this possibility.” Jana answered, getting an annoyed look from Byakuya for jumping in despite the fact that everyone was doing it. Maybe it was for correcting him about Usami earlier.

” _As Vilkas theorized, it isn’t likely. They’ll probably be hiding far away somewhere and safe. Where exactly, I can’t even begin to guess. But there’s no mistaking that an enormous organization is behind this and I can currently think of three contenders; my own family conglomerate, the Novoselic Kingdom and the Kuzuryuu Clan. And if it’s none of us then it would have to be an organization that’s at least equally powerful or more so._ ”

All eyes turned to Fuyuhiko and Sonia to hear their pieces.

” _Huh?!_ ” Sonia questioned in surprise.

” _I’m used to being mistrusted, so whatever you want to believe, I guess._ ” Fuyuhiko said sounding... A little sad actually. Or maybe he was just used to being judged. What was his title anyway? She would have to ask Sonia about everyone’s titles later.

” _Hey!_ ” Kazuichi piped up, looking very irritated. “ _You can say whatever you like about the yakuza and yourself but I won’t allow doubts against Sonia-san!_ ”

Yakuza... Miss Sonia? She could ask about the Yakuza thing later but did he really just Sonia’s first name without her permission? Wasn’t that kind of rude in Japanese? Jana also didn’t like the tone of his voice; a little too loud like he was trying to get peoples’ attention.

” _She’s a hot princess and way different and higher class than you punks!_ ”

Ah... Well that explained everything! Kazuichi had a crush on Sonia and Jana just had to quietly laugh at it all. Sonia didn’t seem all that interested in him and Kazuichi was trying too hard. An innocent crush wasn’t worth speaking up about, it would probably fade away in a few days or a week. Though Hiyoko’s comment about him being a loser was unnecessary even if it was accurate; the dyed hair and constant usage of the mechanics jumpsuit and the teeth and eyes... It all screamed ‘look at me! Pay attention to me!’

* * *

  
It was Hajime to the rescue this time, shaking his head in confusion and turning to Byakuya to change the subject. ” _Did you mean what you said just now about your family and Nevermind’s and Kuzuryuu’s families?_ ”

” _They’re an example of the size of group we need to think about. But I’m certainly not blaming any of them. After all, why would heirs to clans, conglomerates and kingdoms be put at risk with everyone else?_ ” Byakuya calmly replied.

” _However, I would like to make a point._ ” Peko spoke up, stepping out of the gathered crowd and approaching the two boys. “ _Should such an organization exist, what do they want with us? We’re all talented students but what do they gain from keeping us here and having us kill each other?_ ”

It was a very good question and it reminded Jana that she didn’t know everyone’s talents just yet. Considering how handy the handbook had been so far, maybe there was something she could look at? It would mean missing out on conversation but it wouldn’t hurt and Jana had nothing else to say anyway. There was something new! A six pointed star labelled ‘Hope Fragments’ had appeared, how had she not noticed it before? Curious, she opened it and found the pixelated faces of herself and the rest of the class staring back at her so she tapped on her own face and a small profile opened, listing her basic details and accompanied by what she assumed was a school photo. Or a photo they’d grabbed from Segolia? It had everything from her name to her date of birth... Her blood type for some reason... And her chest size?! No one needed to know that! What the hell?! Oh and her talent at the very bottom. Did the other profiles follow the same pattern? Starting with Hajime’s... Yup same layout all except for his talent which wasn’t listed. Huh... Maybe the app still had a few bugs? She moved onto Kazuichi, already knowing that he was a mechanic and it was listed right there, plain as day. Akane was a gymnast which she really didn’t expect. Mahiru was a photographer which was fitting as Jana had noticed the camera bag always on her shoulder. Nagito was... Lucky? What? Teruteru was listed as a cook even though he’d insisted on chef which she discovered yesterday. Chiaki was a gamer, would that explain the constant tiredness? Mikan had the title of nurse which explained the bandages and the medical cross on her apron. Byakuya was the Heir as he’d mentioned already. Nekomaru was a team manager? With his size, he could be an entire sports team on his own! Sonia’s talent was listed as a princess which she already knew. Ibuki was listed as a light musician... That was a strangely specific title... Jana would have to ask her about that. Gundam was an animal breeder and that was just the biggest curve ball so far. Fuyuhiko was down as a yakuza, another thing she didn’t really understand. Hiyoko was a traditional dancer which she would love to ask about and see how it differed from the dancing she knew. Peko was the last on the list with her talent being a swordswoman. Jana liked that they’d specified ‘woman’ and it confirmed without a shadow of a doubt what was in the skinny bag always on her back. She hoped it wasn’t too deadly.

* * *

  
Looking up again, Jana found the park empty... Apart from Hajime. He was stood there, sheepishly waiting and gave her a small wave.

”Sorry, I was reading something. What did I miss?” Jana asked.

” _Souda getting jealous over Nevermind complimenting Tanaka’s hamsters. Saionji insulted Togami and he just brushed it off and we’re all going to either hang out or look for clues._ ” Hajime listed off, making Jana blink. How’d all that happened so fast?

”Oh. Well thanks for waiting for me, I guess. Was there something you wanted to ask?”

” _I was wondering if you wanted to hang out for a while. You seem kinda nice and you really helped me out yesterday._ ”

He wanted to hang out with her? Well, Jana didn’t have any plans beyond grabbing something to eat and maybe going for a walk so she shrugged and smiled at him. “Sure, why not?”

” _You looked like you really enjoyed the beach, we can go and find clues there if you like._ ”

”It was a lot of fun and really beautiful...” Jana slowly responded before glancing away. “And uhm... Do you think you could show me how to do things like make sandcastles and collect sea creatures?”

She saw Hajime become confused as they started to leave the park and head towards the beach. ” _Why would you not know how to do that?_ ”

”Well...” Damn, now she had to think up more lies that went with the partial truths she’d been telling. “My family and I mainly stuck to forests and wooded areas when we travelled around. Beaches are pretty cold in the winter and super packed in the summer; either way, it was never worth going to the beach because we would either be far too cold or get stared at by offended beach goers who didn’t want their children seeing traveler folk.” She could see Hajime turning her words over in his head, perhaps trying to think over something.

” _Was yesterday your first time on a beach?_ ” He asked as grass and gravel became sand.

”Heh, you figured out what I was too embarrassed to say.”

But Hajime certainly didn’t tease her about it which was nice. They didn’t look for clues at all but Jana pointed out that they probably wouldn’t be the only ones not bothering and she had fun mixing the dry sand with sea water in different concentrations and trying to make decent sand constructions. None of them looked remotely like castles, more like domes though Jana did get a few laughs when she planted a few leaves around one of her creations and promptly called it a wolf den.

”Hey, can I ask you something?” She asked Hajime after about an hour of hanging out on the beach. Seeing him nod, she continued. “I was looking through some short profiles on my handbook earlier and your talent wasn’t there.”

Hajime looked away in... Was that shame? ” _I... I don’t remember my talent. Komaeda asked me yesterday after I woke up and it was just... Blank. Like I was trying to find a word in my head but all I was getting was thin air._ ”

Oh. Well that wasn’t fair. ”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get onto a touchy subject.”

” _No it’s okay! You didn’t know and it’ll come back at some point. What about your talent?_ ” Well that was a quick change of subject. Though Jana couldn’t really describe her talent that well, she did at least share stories of places she’d seen and amazing forests she’d stayed in and old myths and legends.

* * *

  
As the sun reached its peak in the sky, Jana called it quits as the heat became too much for her. She thanked Hajime for hanging out with her and expressed how much fun she’d had before heading back towards the cottages and the restaurant. She didn’t have any kind of money on her and she didn’t really want to steal if any of her classmates were around so she decided to see if anything had been left out in the restaurant. It wasn’t the grand banquet from breakfast that morning but there were plenty of snacks and water left out for them to pick and choose from. Jana looked around for signs that anyone was there as raw sausages had been left in a sealed container, presumably for people to cook to their preference and put in the hot dog buns but seeing as how that didn’t exactly matter to her... Her hand flashed out, swiping two of the sausages and both were soon swallowed and enjoyed. Meat craving satisfied~ She’d washed her hands and was snacking on some fruit when Sonia made an appearance, apparently with a similar idea to Jana.

”Ah, my friend! Have you also been experiencing the rumblies?” Sonia asked with her usual innocent curiosity.

”I was feeling pretty hungry yeah and I’ve just been on the beach with Hajime so I really needed a drink and some shade. Would you like to join me?” She asked, pulling out a chair for Sonia who happily took a seat and put together a plate of fruit.

”Did you have fun on the beach?” Sonia asked after daintily devouring a few strawberries.

”Actually, I did. Hajime’s a nice guy when he’s not over thinking things.”

”Oh?” Did Sonia sound a little too innocent there or was it just Jana? She glanced up from her glass of water to see Sonia fixing her with a mischievous smile. “Do you perhaps feel the beginnings of romantic feelings?”

”Wh-What?!” Jana exclaimed before putting her water down so she didn’t spill it everywhere. “No! Hajime’s nice enough but I don’t know him that well! And anyway...” She looked down again and started mumbling under her breath.

”I did not hear you, my friend. Could you speak up please?”

”I said there’s someone back home I’m interested in!”

Sonia giggled but held a hand up in surrender, indicating she was dropping the subject.

”Is there anyone interesting here for you?” Jana asked purely out of curiosity.

”I would certainly like to spend time with Gundam, I was with him earlier as a matter of fact. His hamsters are very cute and he is very knowledgeable about raising, caring for and breeding many different species of animals. We mostly spoke about the animals on the ranch and how he shares information with other animal breeders and pet owners.”

That was cute. Jana had no idea if there was anything romantic there but for now, it was the beginnings of a cute if unexpected friendship. She considered bringing up Kazuichi but eventually decided to speak to him first and fully understand what it was he was feeling for Sonia before covering the subject with her.

* * *

  
The two girls spent hours just talking. Sonia weaved tales of growing up as a member of the royal family and describing her home country’s landscapes, wildlife and traditions which Jana returned in kind; sharing tales of constant travels through the forests and countrysides of the UK and of the bonds between herself and her companions. The topics went from their personal lives to their classmates and their current situation. They laughed and blushed at the typical girly topics of how attractive and sweet some of the boys were and marvelling at the talents their peers had. It was nice to just talk to another girl her own age about perfectly normal things; back home, she was constantly watching her words and making sure to keep track of what lies she told to who. Sure, she and Katrina talked seeing as they lived together but their interests didn’t overlap that much even with the blonde beauty being in on the secret. They had their moments and had fun poking fun at bad movies, supporting each other during the sad moments in a series and of course, keeping the secret. Talking just for the sake of it... It was nice. At least, it was until the bell tolled and the monitor in the restaurant flickered to life, revealing the demented bear happily lounging in an armchair and sipping at a martini. Could he even drink? Wasn’t he mechanical or plush or a mixture of the two? Either way, he couldn’t actually open his mouth and fluid would damage him... Right? Jana listened to that unsettlingly cheerful voice, not understanding a word and already knowing from yesterday that her handbook didn’t translate recorded messages very well.

”He has something for us at Jabberwock Park.” Sonia explained, giving the shortened translation for her friend.

The two girls rose from their seats and made their way outside. It was dark out. How long ago had the sun set? It just went to show how fast the time had flown by the pair without them noticing; they hadn’t even registered that it had started to get dark in the restaurant. The pair kept up a quick pace, not wanting to be late and incur Monokuma’s wrath but even so, Jana couldn’t help but look up at the night sky. She hadn’t really noticed it the night before in her grief but it was absolutely breath taking; no light pollution meant the sky was a dark canvas covered in stars, constellations and small galaxies with an almost full moon just sitting in the centre, surrounded by it all. Two nights from now... Two more nights and that moon would be full. Her first full moon away from her pack... She wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to it or not.


	7. Chapter 1: Sun, Sea and Monochrome - The First Motive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first motive is given, who will cave to it?

Their walk to Jabberwock Park was silent. After their last night time visit there, neither Jana nor Sonia were looking forward to seeing exactly what the demented bear wanted from them this time. Besides, they couldn’t really say no lest they end up like Usami and none of them had ‘spares’ to come back and keep going. Once again, they were some of the last to arrive with Hajime showing up barely a minute behind them and Peko walking with him though she had been waiting by the park entrance with an equally worried look in her intense gaze. Her poker face was barely cracked but it was enough for Jana to see the emotions that echoed around the group as a whole. The bomb was still there, looking even more dangerous and eerie in the moonlight but now there was a new addition; a small stage decorated with a colourful backdrop and good lighting equipment. Once again, Byakuya scolded Hajime for being the last to arrive and gave Jana and Sonia a warning look for being late. The two girls lurked at the back of the little crowd with the likes of Gundam and Chiaki; mainly because Sonia wanted an excuse to stand near her first male friend not that Jana minded, it was easier to hide any slip ups if she wasn’t in anyone’s line of sight.

 _”What’s the freaking bear want this time?”_ Kazuichi grumbled. _“So annoying being dragged out of bed like this.”_

 _”Then you shouldn’t have bothered.”_ Fuyuhiko snapped back at him. Jana could already see this ending very very badly; Fuyuhiko had an air about him of someone used to power and being in control. Not to mention he clearly had short man syndrome and an already short temper to boot.

 _”Hey, I have no idea what would’ve happened if I didn’t show up!”_ Kazuichi pointed out.

 _”None of us do.”_ Fuyuhiko said with a cocky smirk. _“Maybe you should be the guinea pig.”_

”Hey.” Jana snapped at the yakuza heir. “Knock it off.” He heard her, Jana saw him make eye contact and glance at her handbook where her words had been translated but he made quite the show of turning away again. He was ignoring her.

 _”You wouldn’t be here unless you were scared too!”_ Mahiru pointed out angrily.

Yet again, the photographer confused her; one minute Mahiru seemed too wrapped up in the idea of the guys protecting the girls and berating them for not being ‘manly’ or responsible enough. The next, she was getting on their case for being too aggressive. In this case, it was justified because Fuyuhiko’s words and behaviour were uncalled for.

 _”What?”_ Fuyuhiko growled lowly, fury burning in those hazel eyes of his.

 _”Looks like big bad yakuza are also frightened of bear shaped monsters.”_ And there was the very bad ending Jana had guessed. Mahiru could have easily stopped or chosen different words but the ones she chose only added more fuel to the fire.

 _”The fuck did you just say?!”_ Fuyuhiko roared, fists clenched and gaze firmly locked onto Mahiru. He was ready to swing; Jana could see it in the way his bicep kept contracting and relaxing.

 _”Drop it, you two, fighting amongst friends won’t get us anywhere!”_ Nagito begged them.

Ah Nagito, ever the peace-keeper. He was a good guy to have around but she still felt something off about him; that and she was still holding a grudge because of those pokes to her pride when they first got here.

 _”Did you just say... Friend?”_ Fuyuhiko slowly asked him, looking at the other boy like he’d grown a second head. _“We’re not friends, dumbass! When the hell did I form friendships with any of you bastards?!”_

Well someone didn’t want to be a team player. Not a good attitude to have around in their situation.

 _”Let me be perfectly clear... I can do it, y’know.”_ His words rang through the air, hanging heavy and creating a new atmosphere of fear. For a while, no one spoke, just stared at the baby faced yakuza in fear and apprehension until Teruteru voiced everyone’s thoughts.

_”Huh?!”_

”Sonia...” Jana whispered, barely concealing her own anger. “Can you double check this please?” She held her handbook out to her friend and Sonia sighed.

”It is still translating correctly. He said he could commit a murder.” Sonia sadly replied.

 _”Didn’t hear me?”_ Fuyuhiko asked, directing his words at Teruteru and Mahiru. _“Then I’ll repeat myself one more time. I. Can. Do. It.”_ He said, mockingly slowly this time, a smirk spread across his young looking face.

He seemed to be reveling in the emotions he’d stirred among the others, looking much more comfortable and at ease now that he appeared to have some power or advantage over the others. While Jana was scared that he was probably very capable, she saw something different. A challenger. Another Alpha stepping on her turf. Her fingers twitched and tapped beneath her handbook, her lips were curled back, revealing her still human teeth in an angry snarl and there was that tingling feeling beneath her skin. She had to calm down, she had to protect the secret as well as the rest of this island pack. Pack? She barely knew them... But then again, she was possibly one of the more capable people to try to keep them safe and keep them from playing into Monokuma’s paws. Then this boy... This human boy was standing there, saying exactly what Monokuma wanted him to say and putting the rest of them in danger. He was a challenger, he was a threat and he needed to be dealt with.

* * *

  
Hajime was the only one to try actually asking Fuyuhiko to calm down. “Hey, Kuzuryuu, maybe you should calm down a little.”

 _”Don’t tell me what to do, we’re not friends!”_ Fuyuhiko snapped back but he was soon smirking again, lording his ‘advantage’ over them all though there was still some tenseness in his body language. He was a coiled spring and it would only take a little to seriously set him off. “I live in a completely different world from all of you bastards.” Jana could only snort at that statement before freezing as she read his next translated words. “To kill or be killed... I’m surrounded with that choice every day, that’s the world I live in. Hell these new rules make way more sense to me than that ‘play nice and get along’ bullcrap.”

 _”What are you saying?!”_ Mahiru yelped, trying to stand tall, to hold her head high and appear confident but she was shaking, her voice was too high pitched and forced.

Jana could see her fear. Fuyuhiko really hadn’t done the group any favours and now she was more angry than afraid. She tensed herself, ready to leap in front of Mahiru as Fuyuhiko approached her looking livid.

 _”Don’t treat me like a kid, you bitch!”_ He yelled at her and barely held back from swinging a punch.

 _”Just stop already.”_ Peko said, her calm and crystal clear voice ringing through the still night air and cutting through the tension created by the small boy. _“This fighting won’t get us anywhere.”_

Jana noticed how the silver haired girl’s gaze seemed to linger on Fuyuhiko... Probably just a coincidence, she was standing right next to him and he had started it. But Fuyuhiko rounded on her, his anger switching targets so easily. _”Shut the hell up! I’m not playing along with this crap!”_ He snapped at her.

She had only been trying to stop the argument for the good of the group as a whole and while Jana was sure Peko could look after herself, she couldn’t help but feel a cold fury descend over her. Not the red mist kind of anger that lead her to snapping and growling at everyone in the area, the kind that was pinpointed at one source and strategic, the kind that made her think clearly about how to eliminate that one threat. And Fuyuhiko gave her the perfect opportunity to send a message... A warning.

_”If any of you guys want to die right now, take a step forward. I’ll do it fuckin’ happily.”_

Jana could have laughed at his expression; he thought he looked powerful, animalistic even but he wouldn’t know animalistic or wild if it bit him on the nose. She handed her handbook to Sonia who tried to grab for her arm but she simply shrugged it off. So while Akane limbered up and looked eager to jump into a good fight, Jana calmly stepped forward, shoulders hunched and hands twitching at her sides. She was so close to transforming in front of everyone. So dangerously close... But she would walk that edge, she could still be more wolf than human and hide the veins and the eyes and hopefully the fangs and claws too. She watched as Fuyuhiko’s gazed gave her a curious once over and he said something... Probably mocking if his tone and expression was anything to go by but Kazuichi of all people jumped in to provide a translation.

 _”How am I supposed to teach a fucking lesson when you can’t understand a word I say?”_ The mechanic didn’t seem too pleased at having to repeat Fuyuhiko’s words but did so anyway and flinched as he saw Jana’s cruel, wild smirk.

She flashed her eyes, blue-grey switching to amber for barely a second and she saw the way Fuyuhiko’s eyes widened. He saw it. She wanted him to. She wanted him to wonder if he really saw that, she wanted him to be distracted.

”You walk around here as if you own the place.” She began, Sonia translating to Japanese for the boy’s benefit and unlike Kazuichi, Sonia at least attempted to match Jana’s tone of voice. It was deceptively polite but the cold fury in her eyes and the wild smirk on Jana’s face said otherwise. “It’s like Togami-san said the other day; you think yourself an Alpha but you are nothing but a frightened cub, howling to the moon and making reckless challenges to impress the rest of the pack.” Her tone became disgusted and no longer hid her fury at just how much danger this idiot was going to put the rest of the pack in danger with his foolish pointless words. “I am from a different world too; my world is one of survival, where nature can snuff out your life as well as enhance it and do either in the blink of an eye. We are here to survive and you threaten that. You want a fight, you want a challenge?” Her voice dropped to a noticeable, very animalistic growl.

“Then bring it on, little cub.”

She could see Hajime out of the corner of her eye panicking at how she was acting, she heard the whispers of the others, all of which were translated in her ear by Sonia; the others wondering why she was stepping in and saying the words she spoke with such passion and conviction. There was even the odd mutter of why she had turned down the leadership position when she was obviously just as capable as Byakuya. But her gaze was focused on Fuyuhiko who was glaring back her with impressive intensity for a human. His fuse was about ready to blow, that coiled spring of anger ready to explode and fists clenched to throw the first punch.

 _”Enough!”_ Byakuya ordered them and while Jana didn’t really calm down, she at least took a small step away from Fuyuhiko.

A challenge between Alpha personalities was as much psychological intimidation as it was physical intimidation. That little action was a message; Byakuya was good for the group which was what she was interested in so when he said enough, she listened. Of course, her gaze was still focused firmly on the yakuza as she didn’t trust him as far as she could spit; she didn’t doubt that he would take advantage if she was stupid enough to turn her back on him.

* * *

  
Worming her way back through her classmates, Jana once again took her place at the back of the crowd, Sonia by her side and thanked her for looking after her handbook and translating for her. She also made a mental note to thank Kazuichi for doing the same. As the translation app on her handbook booted up, she ended up missing the first couple of sentences that Byakuya said to Fuyuhiko and apparently they weren’t deemed very important as Sonia hadn’t bothered to translate. Either that or, like everyone else in the group, she was lost in the small drama and fearfully wondering how it would be resolved. Seeing what Byakuya chose to say next, Jana had an idea of why the others were so captivated.

_”Let me finish by asking you a very important question. What exactly would a reckless killing performed in plain view of all of us accomplish? The rule, though foul, are very clear; failure to get away with a murder results in your won execution and you know that, I know you do.”_

Fuyuhiko had finally fallen completely silent, eyes glaring daggers at the white suited boy but the tension was just melting out of him the more Byakuya spoke. It seemed the group’s leader had hit the nail on the head.

 _”But perhaps, that’s exactly what you want?”_ Byakuya asked and silence fell over the park. The yakuza’s fists were trembling but this time, not in anger. _“Losing your temper, making threats, actually going through with them... You’d only be killing yourself to get away from this situation which is exactly what a child would do.”_

Jana could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she took several deep breaths and closed her eyes to listen; Fuyuhiko’s heartbeat was faster than hers in that moment. Hearing what she wanted, Jana opened her eyes again and focused back on her handbook so she didn’t miss any more of the conversation.

 _”Kuzuryuu...”_ Hajime began slowly. _“Do you... You don’t really want to die, do you?”_

It was a serious question, one that really needed an answer because the cogs were turning in everyone’s minds and the more analytical of the bunch were seeing the sense in Byakuya’s words and seeing through the cloud of anger Fuyuhiko conjured with his speech. His teeth was clenched and his jaw set, he was trying to throw them off, she realised, trying to throw up defensive walls but he couldn’t repair the crack quick enough.

 _”So long as we’re here, I will not allow any of you to become a victim.”_ Byakuya said, his crystal blue gaze wandering over the group as he addressed his words to all of them, not just the angry yakuza boy. “That includes you, Kuzuryuu, I won’t let you die while we’re trapped here.”

 _”Just empty promises.”_ Fuyuhiko spat with a much weaker resolve than before though he didn’t look like he was relaxing and agreeing.

Jana thought he looked rather uncomfortable and just wanted to hide to lick his wounds.

_“And who said you could use that one on me? I sure as hell didn’t!”_

”Not true.” Jana spoke up again, careful to keep her voice level so she didn’t start another fight when things were finally cooling down. “When a leader makes a promise, they stick to it with all their might. They know it’s within their skills to see it through. A leader takes on the responsibility of the lives of those who follow them. Togami-san is our leader, I trust him to keep us safe.”

Her gaze was fixed on Byakuya’s as she spoke; she saw surprise in his eyes and then a confident smirk. Perhaps that was his version of gratitude?

 _”Thank you, Vilkas-san, and it’s true that my words would simply be pretty, hollow things if not for the fact that I am Togami Byakuya. It is my destiny to bring these promises to fruition.”_ The tension finally evaporated and everyone let out a breath they didn’t realise they’d been holding.

 _”Wooooowwww that was so cool!”_ Ibuki said with a surprisingly girly giggle.

Several others voiced their agreements as Fuyuhiko muttered about not really caring and just doing his own thing anyway. Peace had finally returned to the evening gathering and though it was shaky and likely to be disrupted at any moment, it was a start.

* * *

  
It was such a shame that it lasted all of five seconds before Monokuma appeared wearing a blue suit jacket and red tie, dragging a reluctant Monomi in a frilly pink dress behind him.

 _“You guys were so busy arguing, I wasn’t sure when to reveal myself.”_ Monokuma announced in that annoyingly cheerful voice of his. It would’ve sounded like a real apology if it were given by anyone other than the bear. _“And I still seem to have showed up at an awkward moment.”_

 _”Hey, why are you dressed like that?”_ Chiaki asked, tilting her head a little in curiosity.

 _”It’s my costume for the fun time!”_ He announced before raising his black paw to his mouth as if trying to look like he made an innocent mistake. _“Did I forget to mention that in my last broadcast?”_

Jana watched as Peko glanced at the stage then at Monokuma several times before sighing. _“Please don’t tell me you’re going to go up on that stage.”_

_”Yup yup! We’re on a tropical island so I’m doing a two man comedy routine~”_

_”W-Why does being on a tropical island matter?”_ Mikan squeaked but was so quiet she was ignored.

 _”Can you perform such a thing by yourself?”_ Sonia asked.

 _”No of course, I can’t, duh! That’s why I brought my partner with me!”_ He gestured to Monomi just twiddling her white and pink paws behind him looking reluctant and nervous.

 _”Oh, figures.”_ Nekomaru muttered as all eyes glanced over at the little rabbit.

 _”So let’s begin the live side splitting comedy show!”_ Monokuma announced as he and Monomi jumped up onto the stage.

_”Hellooooooo! I’m Monokuma!”_

_”Uhm...”_ Monomi gulped and looked around nervously, twitching her little ears and bouncing a little on her feet. Was she not sure what she was supposed to do? _“I’m Monomi.”_ Even she was using that stupid name now?!

 _”And together we are, The Monokumas!”_ Both of them said though Monokuma was far more enthusiastic.

 _”Now, I know it’s only the beginning of the show but I feel like showing you all my amazing mind reading technique.”_ Monokuma said, trying to make things as interesting as possible but only getting bored and incredulous looks from the class. Jana swore Monomi gave herself whiplash from how fast she turned her head.

 _”You can do that?”_ The rabbit asked.

_”As practice, I will guess your favourite food~”_

Well, this clearly wasn’t going to surprise anyone. There was no way he could get thing wrong unless he had a different goal in mind and considering who this was, Jana suspected he was going to get it wrong on purpose. His paws tapped at his plushy head as he pretended to think.

 _”You can do it, I’m a rabbit, it’s obvious what I like.”_ Monomi encouraged.

 _”Ca...”_ Monokuma began and Monomi, bless her little pink heart, immediately jumped the gun.

_”That’s right!”_

_”-davers!”_ Monokuma finished making everyone’s faces fall. That... Was just uncalled for in this situation. Wait, where was that studio laughter coming from?

_”Wha’?! I’d never eat a dead body!”_

_“Anyway, your turn, Monomi! Do a short skit or tell a joke or something.”_

_”H-huh? B-but I haven’t prepared anything and improvisation is difficult!”_

_”Oh? Hm... No worries, we can just summon the God of Comedy to help you out! I know exactly how to do it too!”_ Monokuma leered at Monomi, was it just Jana or did that creepy smile on the black side of his face seem to grow bigger? _”Soooo... Which is better, in your opinion? Taking blood from you while you’re alive or while you’re dead?”_ Several faces in the crowd lost a few shades of colour.

_”Why would you ask something so cruel?!”_

_”If I’m going to summon the Comediety, I need a lot of blood.”_

_”A God of Comedy... Wants blood?”_ Monomi asked, some of her fear had faded from her voice but not all of it. But hey, it was a start. Maybe she could teach Monomi how to really stand up to the demented bear.

 _”Hnnngggg... Pretty please?”_ Monokuma looked like he was in physical pain from having to say please but Monomi shook her head. Jana was so proud.

_”You won’t get my blood, no matter how charmingly you ask.”_

_”You’re so quick to make a scary face, Monomi.”_ Monokuma said in clipped tones before addressing the students directly. _“You guys should watch yourself, Monomi’s a bad guy, y’know.”_

All boredom disappeared only to be replaced with very visible confusion on everyone’s faces. Jana couldn’t understand where he got that from; Monomi was annoying, yes, but she was harmless.

 _“As bad as the first villain a hero fights in those teen mangas several of you enjoy so much.”_ Monokuma continued though Jana didn’t really understand the metaphor having never read manga herself.

 _”But they’re always the underdog.”_ Monomi protested.

 _”Oh believe me! She’s terrible in fact, I’ll let you in on a little secret of hers.”_ He leaned forward, raising his white paw to his mouth as if he were truly whispering to the students even though he was still speaking into the microphone.

_“Monomi went out of her way to erase your memories~”_

* * *

  
Silence fell yet again as eyes widened and gasps of shock echoed through the class. That... Couldn’t be true, right? Memories couldn’t just be stolen like that.

 _”W-Wait huh?!”_ Monomi said as she registered Monokuma’s words and looked just as worried as the gathered students.

 _”You guys don’t even remember how you got here, right?”_ Monokuma asked, ignoring his ‘sister’ and dropping the act as he continued to speak to the class. _“Monomi stealing your memories is the reason for that.”_

 _”W-What are you saying? Why so suddenly?!”_ Monomi cried but she didn’t sound confused... To Jana’s impeccable hearing, Monomi sounded guilty.

Again, she was ignored as Monokuma continued his verbal assault on everyone, though to what end, Jana couldn’t even begin to guess. Her mind was reeling from the possibility that her memories may have been tampered with.

_”Oh but wait, I still have more! The memories she took are far more valuable than simply getting to this island...She took away your memories of attending Hope’s Peak Academy and the time you spent there!”_

Her mind ground to a halt. All of that... Was gone? Just... Gone? No. No, it couldn’t be true because... Because this was Monokuma, a demented thing that didn’t belong and messed everything up. They had no reason to trust him. Memory stealing didn’t exist! But then, people like Jana weren’t supposed to exist either but here she was. So then... If she truly had lost her memories... How old was she? How long had she been away? And what about her pack, her friends?! Did they know, were they alright? Had a new Alpha been appointed in her absence?

 _”Phew, I feel soooo much better now that I’ve shared that with you.”_ Monokuma began lightly before his voice became a little gruffer. _“Don’t you think memory loss plot are old hat? The only people who wait until the end to reveal such a clichéd twist are complete hacks!”_

 _”Please stop!”_ Monomi begged.

_”Upupupu~ Wasn’t that just such a shock? You guys aren’t new students at all! You just believed that because you have none of your school memories! Quick, someone needs to call a plagiarist because I’m sure I’ve heard this story before~”_

Monomi was wringing her paws and the edge of her dress now. _“Stop, please stop! This is bad in so many ways!”_

A paw swung at the little rabbit, sending her flying as she whined about Monokuma’s backhand being too powerful. Jana found she couldn’t bring herself to care. Monomi was annoying. Monomi was kind and warm. Monomi had made sure she could communicate with the other students despite not knowing the language. Monomi had also lied to them, had been lying this whole time.

* * *

  
Jana glanced around at her classmates and their expressions mirrored hers; pale, confused, frightened and no one could say a word. Nagito was the first to break the silence this time but for once, his voice held none of its usual cheer or optimism.

 _”W-What exactly did he mean?”_ He asked aloud. Perhaps he hadn’t realised he was speaking?

Monokuma finally hopped off of the stage and stood before the class, now missing his suit jacket and tie.

 _”So how was it? Did you have fun or was the comedy a little high brow for you?”_ He asked as if he hadn’t just dropped an unbelievable bombshell on them all seconds ago.

 _”What were you saying just now?”_ Byakuya demanded and got a tilted black and white head in response.

_”Oh, you mean about your school memories being stolen!”_

Stolen. The word kept echoing through her mind. Stolen... Taken without consent but with reason. Their memories had been stolen, there must have been a reason for it but why? What was so bad that they had to be taken?

 _”N-No way... There’s no way.”_ Ibuki said, her voice missing its usual volume and enthusiasm. She was uncharacteristically quiet, her fingers drumming together showing just how nervous and upset she was at the idea. _“Cause Ibuki entered Hope’s Peak and then came here right away.”_

 _”Because that’s how you remember it.”_ Monokuma replied. _“And it’s all thanks to Monomi~”_

 _”That’s impossible.”_ Hajime muttered before repeating himself louder, perhaps to convince himself?

_“There’s no way... What’re you saying?! That’s completely impossible!”_

_”Wow, I wonder how long it’s been since you actually entered the school?”_ Monokuma mused.

Jana’s breaths came short, her heart raced and her skin tingled.

”Stop it.” She mumbled. Her words were barely audible to her own ears but Sonia seemed to have heard her speak and turned to face her friend.

”Jana?” She asked quietly but Jana, too lost in her thoughts and concerns, didn’t hear.

_”I bet your friends and family are worried sick~”_

She’d left her pack without an Alpha for a completely unknown amount of time. Were they all alright? Did Matei still miss his sister? Had TJ stepped up in her absence like she asked? Was Selena still keeping him in line? Had anyone tried to go for her human friends? And Doctor Whitewood, had she learned anything new? Had Imara tried to step in and gain control over the void that Jana had left? What about the wild pack, had they heard of her disappearance? Was Emilia scared and conflicted over the news? Her father... Did he still lead the wild pack? How was he handling the news? Jana had so many questions and no answers, no lead, nothing to go on because when she tried to think or draw out a memory all she got was a horrible throbbing sensation in her head and that only increased her panicking.

”Jana!” Sonia said a little louder but still Jana paid no mind. Her thoughts spiraled out of control and she lost track of how close she was to revealing her secret. “Jana?” Sonia asked again but this time in confusion.

It was enough to bring her out of her panic just a little. Not much, but enough to realise just how much she was tingling and how dizzy she felt from her short breaths. She could feel the tingling in her eyes and the panic rose up again. Had Sonia seen her eyes? They’d probably changed and she hadn’t even thought to hide them! She really hoped Sonia hadn’t seen.

* * *

  
In her panic, she’d missed the others making various weak exclamations that they hadn’t lost their memories, that this couldn’t be true. With thoughts of Sonia possibly witnessing her secret sending her back into that mindset, she barely registered Monokuma’s explanation of just why they were all wrong.

_”You all experienced a strange dizziness the moment you stepped into Hope’s Peak, am I right?”_

He was. Monokuma was exactly right and she hated it but how did he know?

 _“That was the cut off point.”_ He explained. _“Everything after that is missing.”_

More weak arguments, more pathetic attempts of the students trying to convince themselves that this memory loss just wasn’t real. Jana agreed, it couldn’t be true it just couldn’t! She made promises before leaving the country, she’d sat down with her pack and organised times to speak with them when they were all awake. They’d scheduled Skype calls and letters and gifts, they’d figured out how to find the wild pack to keep them updated and today was supposed to be her first day at a new school in a foreign country. Jana thought she heard Mikan, Nekomaru and Nagito trying to speak and make a point against Monokuma.

 _”You just don’t want to believe what I’ve told you.”_ Monokuma taunted them. _“But because I’m such a generous bear, I can return your memories to you.”_

Jana blinked as her thoughts cleared a little and some light returned to her still amber eyes, it was a good thing she was hidden at the very back. He could return their memories? It was a stretch and would mean admitting whole heartedly that there were gaps in her memories but she could hope.

 _”But there’s a catch.”_ Uh oh... This couldn’t be good. _“You guys have to kill each other!”_ He announced, paws holding onto his belly and head arched back as if he were laughing. The grin on the black half of his face opened and the cartoonish flat teeth became sharp fangs.

Kill? Like he said when he first arrived? Kill someone else, get away with it and he would return the winner’s memories to them. Couldn’t be too hard, Jana was an experienced fighter and tracker and she could go for people no one would miss like Hiyoko or Teruteru; neither of them were well liked, they were small, didn’t seem to have much muscle tone to them so they definitely weren’t fighters. It would be easy. Quick. If she did it in wolf form, no one would ever know.

Wait...

How could she be thinking this?! These were her classmates! As horrible as some of them were, they all had families to return to, all had reasons of their own to leave the island which were as valid as hers! How could she have tried to plan the deaths of one of her classmates like that? So easily? Jana couldn’t seriously be considering it... Could she? With several shakes of her head, Jana finally cleared her thoughts enough to grab hold of them and squash them down somewhere deep inside her mind where she wouldn’t dwell on them too much. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, doing her best to block out Monokuma’s taunts and her classmates’ reactions as she tried to regain control over herself. Her breathing finally evened out and the tingling at least faded from her eyes but was still there buzzing under her skin and her heart was still racing but at least she wasn’t on the verge of blowing everything.

 _”But it’s not just this situation you guys don’t believe.”_ Monokuma was saying.

Her eyes were open now and glued to her handbook. She continued her deep breathing to stay in control even as Monokuma’s words threatened to unsettle what she’d just managed to regain.

_“You don’t believe each other.”_

_”What do you mean?”_ Mahiru demanded but her pale face and shaking hands betrayed what she was really feeling.

 _”You guys don’t know each other, not really which means-”_ Why was he pausing? _“You guys don’t even realise that there’s a traitor hiding amongst you!”_

What? Another bombshell? The tingling returned with a vengeance and Jana had to force her eyes shut and picture herself in a sunny field to keep even the small amount of composure she was struggling to cling onto. A traitor was among them?

 _”Why are there seventeen of you?”_ Monokuma asked, acting innocent once again. _“This trip was arranged for sixteen students so that one extra student must be a traitor!”_ Another pause as the bear tried to recover from that belly laugh of his. _“Upupu, just kidding~”_

After everything he’d said about their memories and the catch to having them returned, Jana didn’t believe him.

 _”Suddenly saying all this shit about traitors...”_ Fuyuhiko mumbled, sounding as nervous as the rest of them looked. _“It doesn’t make any sense.”_

 _”It’s complete nonsense, it has to be.”_ Peko added.

 _”But how can you be so sure?”_ Monokuma countered, both of his paws covering his mouth as he played up his apparent innocence.

 _“You don’t know anything about each other or each others’ true natures. If someone was planning to kill-”_ Jana swore she felt the bear’s gaze linger on her for a moment. _“-You’d never know until they were caught... If they were caught~”_

No one had an argument for that. Monokuma was correct, once again even if no one wanted to admit it.

 _”It’s just so gosh darned awful that there’s a traitor here.”_ Monokuma continued as if he were just talking about what he was planning to get for his shopping. _“Pretending to be an ally, tricking all of you, why it would make perfect sense for someone to take them out.”_ The bear grinned demonically at them all. _“C’mon, make a pre-emptive strike! Winner takes all, first come first serve! Find the traitor before they find you! Ahahahahah!”_

With that he disappeared again.

* * *

  
Jana didn’t dare look up for fear that her eyes had changed again. She could hear everyone’s breathing, everyones’ heartbeats and that indicated that they were all as scared as she was.

 _”I-Is it true?”_ Mikan asked quietly but in the silence, everyone heard her clear as day. _“Is there r-really a traitor among us? A-And it’s not me, by the way!”_ She squeaked. Jana didn’t have to look up to know the girl was shaking and flinching. _“I know I look suspicious b-but it’s not me, I swear!”_

How on Earth would Mikan of all people be suspicious? Jana suspected she would lose a fight to a fly.

 _”Show yourself!”_ Nekomaru demanded. _“You’re only making things worse by keeping your silence!”_

 _”Calm down, all of you.”_ Byakuya to the rescue again? _“There’s no traitor, there’s no way a traitor exists among us.”_

Curious, Jana lifted her head to see his expression. There was a little sweat over his brow and his cheeks had lost a little colour but determination shone in his gaze.

_”The information came from Monokuma, someone who wants us to kill. We can safely assume that the traitor business is complete nonsense.”_

And that was why Jana had been mostly okay letting him take the leadership role; even when his cool had been lost, he put up a good enough front to convince others that things would be fine, that he would keep them safe. He was a good leader.

 _”Why don’t we ask Monomi? She would know.”_ Peko suggested. Jana had forgotten the rabbit was still lingering and said rabbit froze on the spot. _”Is Monokuma speaking the truth?”_ She asked. _“About our memories and the traitor. Was he being honest?”_

 _”U-Um... I mean...”_ Monomi began, holding her paws to her mouth and looking like she was sweating buckets somehow. She was avoiding everyone’s gaze and Jana felt her heart break a little.

”Usami...” She began, almost begging as she crouched down and met Monomi’s gaze with pleading eyes. Perhaps the use of her real name would make her crack a little and Jana wanted to keep trusting the little rabbit, she wasn’t so bad, just kind of annoying. ”Please... Tell us the truth.”

 _”Everyone needs to look to the future, you shouldn’t look back at the past.”_ Monomi finally managed to say but it wasn’t what anyone wanted to hear.

She was clearly avoiding the question, she was giving them an answer that meant nothing and it confirmed that she knew something. Her wording also confirmed that she truly had taken their memories. Looking to the future, forgetting the past...

 _”Keep your eyes fixed on the future! Let’s do our very best!”_ Monomi urged them as Jana stood up again and returned to Sonia’s side, eyes downcast.

Monomi had been so kind, so helpful but she was also a terrible liar and Jana couldn’t stand people who lied without good reason. Why not just tell them why their memories had been taken? Why not offer a way to gain them back slowly? With that, the rabbit ran away. Fuyuhiko commented that this was something totally fictional and he was right; this couldn’t be possible. Then again, she was a secret walking example of things that shouldn’t exist but did.

* * *

  
The night curfew announcement rang, it was ten o clock already? Everyone agreed to break up for the night and head to bed and meet up in the restaurant for breakfast. They could make sure no one had done anything during the night that way. Jana was so out of it, she hadn’t bothered to correct Sonia’s attempt at saying that she was frightened stiff nor had she chewed out Teruteru for trying to make it dirty. She wanted to go to bed, to sleep and hopefully not spend all night stewing over everything they’d been told that evening. As a group, everyone wandered back to their respective cottages with Jana muttering a quiet good night to both Sonia and Kazuichi. She’d tried to tell the same to Hajime but he looked more out of it than she was so decided to save it for another time. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow but it was anything but restful. She tossed and turned during the night, she mumbled in her sleep as the blankets tangled around her waist and legs.

 ****_**Jana dreamed of her pack; the wild wolves she had grown up with, the tame wolves and humans she had met in Stoneybridge and her city friends in Newcastle. They all surrounded her, the wild pack and the city pack bowing to her while the wolves from Stoneybridge took turns in resting their foreheads against hers and every human she had come to know hugged her tight. Everyone was here, gathered in this beautiful clearing. Matei and Emilia were happily catching up as her father, Aran and Meinir kept a close eye on them. TJ and Selena looked happy and free as they playfully fought around the bushes and trees. Rhydian, Maddy and Maddy’s parents had made the trip from Canada and were supplying everyone with different meats, Doctor Whitewood stepping in whenever the flames on the barbeque got too high for the wolves to deal with. Mr Jeffries hovered by the scientist’s shoulder, likely talking her ear off about who knew what. Kara, Katrina, Kay, Tom and Shannon, all human, were sitting in a circle exchanging their experiences of being around the wolves. Jana saw it all and smiled, sitting on a log and just observing everyone she loved. There was only one person missing but that was fine because she was sat next to Jana; Ceri was always by her side.**_

_**”Come join us, Jana. You can’t sit and watch all day.” Ceri told her, smiling warmly and resting a comforting hand on the red head’s shoulder.** _

_**”I will in a minute, I just want to commit this to memory.” Jana replied, matching her tone.** _ _**Ceri suddenly took her face in her rough hands, her happy expression one of worry.** _

_**”Jana, cariad, come back to us.”** _

_**”What?” She was right here, everyone she loved was over... When did it get so dark? Why was the air so foul? Where were the trees, the sun? Her pack? It was just her and Ceri who was still holding her face.** _

_**”Come back to us, Jana, cariad, Alpha, we need you.”** _

_**”C-Ceri I... I don’t understand. W-what’s going on? Everything was fine.”** _

_**”Come back to us, I know you hear us.”** _

_**”T-They were right there!”** _

_**”You hear us, cariad, we miss you. We miss our Alpha and our friend. We need you back, Jana”** _

_**”Ceri... I’m right here. I don’t understand.”** _

_**”Come back to us, get better.”** _

_**”Stop it, you’re scaring me!”** _

_**She pulled away from Ceri only for everything to swirl into blackness as sunlight poured through her closed eyelids.** _

Ding dong bing bong.


	8. Chapter 1: Sun, Sea and Monochrome - Day 2 Deadly Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are discussed and Jana's temper finally snaps.

The morning announcement still startled Jana but not quite as thoroughly as yesterday morning. She sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her eyes and running her fingers through her hair as she recalled her dream. No... It was more like a nightmare. But it had started out as a dream. She knew that her mind was trying to tell her something, it was a common belief in the wild pack that dreams often had a deeper meaning even if you couldn’t pinpoint it right away. It had started so perfectly... Everyone was there having a good time and being friendly with one another. All of her friends and family from their different backgrounds merging and becoming one huge gathering only for things to just suddenly become awful. She shook her head. She couldn’t dwell on this right now. Everyone was meeting up at the restaurant and she didn’t want to be late again so she took a quick shower and put on some fresh clothes before heading out. She wasn’t the first to wake up, not by a long shot but since she was actually up on time today, she decided to knock of Sonia’s cottage door. The Princess answered quickly, giving her friend a small smile but looking like she was barely awake.  
  
”Morning.” Jana greeted her.  
  
”Let us not lie to ourselves, Jana, we have not slept well...” Sonia replied, her voice still thick with sleep and pessimism.  
  
But she agreed with a small nod as they headed towards the restaurant and passed by Mahiru.  
  
” _Oh, good morning, Koizumi-san._ ” Sonia greeted politely while Jana gave a small wave. She hadn’t turned her handbook on for the day just yet.  
  
” _Hi, you two. Hey listen, with all this horrible stuff happening, I thought us girls could hang out today._ ” Mahiru suggested, the smile on her pale face looking a little forced.  
  
”Hang out?” Jana asked, Sonia translating between the two red heads. “Doing what?”  
  
” _I thought baking together would be fun. What do you say? Maybe we could all meet back in the restaurant sometime this afternoon?_ ”  
  
” _That sounds fun, Koizumi-san._ ” Sonia said with her usual polite smile. “ _We shall attend._ ”  
  
With that conversation done, Sonia and Jana headed into the restaurant, deciding to take the outside stairs to get up there. Chiaki was probably gaming in the lobby already, they didn’t want to disturb her. Upstairs, only two people were actually there already; Teruteru and Nekomaru, both of which looked as awful as Jana felt with bags under their eyes and their bodies tense. Teruteru was nervously combing his hair and avoiding eye contact while Nekomaru just seemed to be staring at the surface of his chosen table. Jana looked over the food and was pleased to see a few Western choices today so immediately grabbed some bacon, fried eggs and toast and some orange juice to go with it before sitting down across from Sonia who hadn’t picked up anything just yet. She was just sitting there with a blank expression. It seemed no one was really in the mood to try and act as though nothing was happening.

* * *

Hearing footsteps on the stirs from the hotel lobby, Jana glanced over to see Hajime; he looked like he hadn’t slept at all. At least Jana had gotten a little sleep after her nightmare. She watched as he glanced around at those gathered; it was silent in the restaurant save for Jana’s knife and fork against her plate as she ate. Everyone else slowly started to trickle in with Byakuya arriving last, standing before everyone with his arms folded.  
  
” _ _Is everyone here?__ ” He asked the group.  
  
” _ _It looks like...__ ” Chiaki began, speaking slowly and carefully as she usually did. Her soft pink eyes glanced around at everyone, focusing on their faces before she answered the self appointed leader. “ _ _Kuzuryuu-kun isn’t here yet.__ ”  
  
” _ _Maybe we should go look for his body.__ ” Hiyoko said through a nasty giggle and one of her creepy grins. She wasn’t going to react to Hiyoko’s crap today... Hiyoko wasn’t going to win... She was just a brat that could be dealt with at a later date.  
  
” _ _Starting the body count already?!__ ” Ibuki yelped only for Peko to speak up with a roll of her eyes.  
  
” _ _I saw him outside earlier, he’s fine. But he did inform me that he wouldn’t be joining us this morning.__ ” Now that she thought about it, Peko seemed to be the only one who could stand Fuyuhiko. Jana didn’t know if they actually spent time together or anything but Peko always seemed to at least know where Fuyuhiko was and he seemed to pass messages onto her. At least he was accounted for.  
  
” _ _Does he really have to be a lone wolf at a time like this?__ ” Mahiru groaned. She’d finally settled on a seat but hadn’t yet grabbed any food.  
  
Jana had to fight to keep the grin off of her face; sayings involving wolves always amused her. ”Every lone wolf has their reasons, whether they’re good reasons or not. With someone as stubborn as Kuzuryuu-san, we’ll probably never know.” Huh, it was getting easier to use honorifics but then again, she was just sticking with one for now. It would probably get more difficult if people asked her to use different ones.  
  
” _ _Well what if he’s thinking up a plan to k-kill someone?__ ” Kazuichi asked slowly, stumbling over the word kill. Jana and Sonia’s gazes snapped up to his, both of them looking irritated though for very different reasons.  
  
” _ _Do not doubt your friend, Souda-san.__ ” Sonia snapped at him, sounding appalled that he would even consider the possibility.  
  
”She’s right, we’ll only treat each other with fear and suspicion if we doubt each other. A little caution is healthy in this situation and can’t really be avoided but if you alienate someone with your suspicion, you’ll only make it more likely that they’ll commit a murder anyway.” Jana added on.  
  
She knew from experience that fear could push people to do horrible things; an old manor house in the English countryside flashed through her mind as well as the face of a scientist with stubble on his chin and fear and hatred in every word her spoke.  
  
”But he’s yakuza! Do you two understand what that means? He’s part of the Japanese mafia and his clan is the biggest one around!” Kazuichi replied loudly, in English seeing as it was the three of them conversing and it left the rest of the class in confusion at least until Nagito decided to translate for them.  
  
Kazuichi’s retort had Jana thinking; true she hadn’t actually known what a yakuza was and now she did and it definitely explained a few things about Fuyuhiko. But was that any reason to fully doubt him? Not really... He was definitely more likely to go through with it because he had possibly done it before but from Jana’s interactions with him, he was all bark and no bite. He was an heir posing as an Alpha, a cub trying to impress and intimidate.  
  
” _ _He seems to be the kind of person who wouldn’t join us even if we requested him to do so.__ ” Byakuya pointed out.  
  
” _ _It can’t be helped but perhaps Pekoyama-san will relay our conversation to him later.__ ”  
  
” _ _You want to talk about something?__ ” Hajime asked. Jana had almost forgotten he was there, he was so quiet.  
  
” _ _Plans for tonight of course.__ ” Byakuya replied with a smirk. “ _ _Rejoice, we shall have a party tonight.__ ”

A party? With music and balloons and streamers? Or maybe just food and drink and good company? Either way, they both sounded pretty good to her. There were a few quiet exclamations at Byakuya’s announcement but they all quietened down again when he spoke.  
  
” _ _That’s right. It will last all night, sundown to sunrise.__ ”  
  
Jana finally grinned a natural grin, a party sounded like so much fun! It would be great for everyones’ moods after last night’s horrors. True it would mean two late nights in a row as the full moon was tomorrow night but it wasn’t like she had to be exactly on time for anything. As long as she woke up with the morning announcement and showed her face at the restaurant for breakfast, things would be fine. She could take a nap if she really needed to.  
  
” _ _Party til the sun’s up?__ ” Ibuki chirped before grinning. “ _ _Count Ibuki in!__ ”  
  
” _ _Of course but just to make myself clear, absence will not be tolerated. The party is mandatory.__ ”  
  
” _ _Is now really a good time to talk about partying?__ ” Kazuichi asked, fiddling with the rim of his beanie and the end of his braid.  
  
”Actually, this is a perfectly good time for a party.” Jana threw in her two cents. "We're all feeling terrible after last night, this might just be the thing to boost morale and help us relax and get to know each other better."  
  
” _ _I’m not sure we should really be doing this.__ ” Mahiru spoke up.  
  
” _ _I’d like to add to this.__ ” Nagito said calmly, raising a hand as if he were in school and didn’t continue speaking until Byakuya had nodded at him. “ _ _I think it’s a good idea. We’re all pretty bummed out after yesterday so perhaps this would be a good way to raise our spirits again. Not to mention, we’d be able to get to know each other better as that’s exactly what we need in this situation; to know and trust each other. I’m guessing you were thinking along the same lines?__ ”  
  
He raised several good points, all of which Jana agreed with. Nagito hid a lot of intelligence behind his calm demeanor and Jana could respect that; didn’t stop her from disliking him and his presence though. Actually, she still hadn’t figured out what it was about him that made her skin crawl.  
  
” _ _My reasons don’t matter.__ ” Byakuya stubbornly responded. “ _ _It’s just vitally important that we’re all in a relatively enclosed space and can account for one another tonight.__ ” He spoke calmly but it was his chosen words that made Jana uneasy. He wasn’t giving his reasons for hosting a party and he was making it mandatory... Something else was going on here.  
  
” _ _You say that with such significance.__ ” Gundam murmured from the table next to Sonia and Jana. So he’d noticed it too.  
  
” _ _Then it’s decided, we’re having a party tonight.__ ” Byakuya continued as if he hadn’t heard Gundam which was probably the case as Gundam’s voice was very low and deep for someone his age.  
  
” _ _I-I’m still not sure it needs to last all night.__ ” Mikan said, twiddling her fingers nervously and refusing to meet anyones’ eyes.  
  
” _ _If I thought it wasn’t necessary, I would’ve already said so.__ ” Byakuya firmly told her. His words hadn’t held any anger but Mikan still flinched and cowered away from him.  
  
“ _ _I-I-I’m s-sorry, so so sorry!__ ” She squeaked, arms raised to defend herself despite the fact that no one was raising a hand to her. ” _ _I-I tried to m-meddle, I’m sorry!__ ” That settled it, Jana was hanging out with her later today to give her a good hug. The poor girl clearly needed it.  
  
” _ _In a difficult and stressful situation like ours, being flexible with plans is very important. The party could be just the diversion we need from everything.__ ” Nekomaru suggested and everyone agreed with nodding heads and making various affirmative sounds.  
  
” _ _Woohoo, then let’s party all night!__ ” Akane cheered.  
  
” _ _I can provide food for you all.__ ” Teruteru said as he raised his hand. Being so short, he had to catch the group’s attention somehow.

“ _ _What about the location?__ ” Chiaki hummed, putting a finger to her chin as she thought about it.  
  
“ _ _Would here in the restaurant be okay?__ ”  
  
” _ _No, it’s too open and there’s too many ways for intruders to sneak in.__ ” Byakuya replied. Well that was that idea gone.  
  
“ _ _We need a place where Monokuma can’t bother us, in other words, completely enclosed.__ ”  
  
”That could be difficult considering both Monokuma and Usa-... Monomi can apparently appear wherever they like.” Jana pointed out.  
  
She received a worried glance from Sonia as she used Monomi instead of Usami. Jana had only stubbornly kept up with it because she felt sorry for the rabbit; her identity and purpose had been taken away by that awful bear. But now she knew that the rabbit had taken their school memories, had lied to them. Jana had felt betrayed so why should she keep calling the rabbit by a name no one else was using?  
  
” _ _I concur as we must eliminate the lobby from our list of possible locations.__ ” Gundam spoke up. He’d shifted in his chair so that he was now sitting on it sideways, face Byakuya rather than facing the girls and turning his head to see their leader.  
  
”Right, if the restaurant isn’t suitable then neither is the lobby.”  
  
” _ _And the cottages are simply too small to host all of us. We would be rather... Cramped?__ ” Sonia pointed out.  
  
” _ _But if we want to be pressed up against each other then that’s the perfect place~__ ” Teruteru replied, smirking at Sonia who was as clueless as ever.  
  
Jana tensed and glared at the short boy. She fought hard to suppress the urge to snarl and pin him to the wooden floor because she had given him more than enough chances by this point. But no. She couldn’t lose her temper that badly and obviously with so many people around especially after cutting it so close last night. On the bright side, she heard Gundam sharply inhale and when she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that he was just as tense as she was. Hm... Interesting.  
  
” _ _How are you so comfortable saying your perverted thoughts out loud?__ ” Kazuichi asked after a short pause.  
  
” _ _I might be a pervert but I’m the kind that everyone likes.__ ” Teruteru boasted making several people roll their eyes.  
  
” _ _I’m not sure if I should be impressed by your confidence or weirded out by it...__ ”  
  
”Don’t even think about trying to copy him.” Jana warned her pink haired friend. Perhaps she should have a talk with him today.  
  
” _ _If we could get back to the point, I think I have an idea.__ ” Nagito said, once again raising his hand politely. He waited until everyone was looking before he continued. “ _ _What about the old building next to the hotel?__ ”  
  
” _ _I know the one you mean... I think.__ ” Chiaki responded. “ _ _But isn’t it a little run down? Would it be safe?__ ”

” _ _It looks structurally sound so I think if it was cleaned up a little on the inside, it should be just fine. Plus, it’s the only place that is completely enclosed.__ ”  
  
” _ _We are also forbidden from entering that place by Monomi as it’s currently under renovation.__ ” Peko pointed out only for the rabbit to appear.

* * *

  
" _ _I’ve heard your conversation!__ ” The tiny rabbit announced as she appeared making everyone take a few steps back in surprise but Monomi didn’t seem to notice. “ _ _I have very good ears because I’m a rabbit!__ ”  
  
”Wolf ears are better.” Jana mumbled to herself with one hand on her chest as she tried to calm down from being startled.  
  
” _ _Your ears?__ ” Byakuya questioned. “ _ _How strange, are the surveillance cameras around the island just for Monokuma?__ ”  
  
Monomi’s face fell and her mouth stayed firmly shut but the answer could be guessed from that.  
  
” _ _She looks so disappointed.__ ” Ibuki observed.  
  
” _ _Never mind, we can return to the topic another time. Now, I believe you were about to tell us something about the old building?__ ”  
  
” _ _If it’s to strengthen your bonds with one another then I will happily cooperate.__ ” Monomi cheerfully informed them. “ _ _We can all go to the old building and party together and build hope and strong bonds.__ ”  
  
” _ _Together?__ ” Hiyoko asked. “ _ _All of us? Including you?__ ” She let out a high pitched childish laugh. “ _ _Not happening! You’re way too disgusting! You ought to stay away from mirrors so you don’t get grossed out by your own reflection.__ ”  
  
”Monomi’s annoying but you really don’t need to go so far, Saionji-san.” Jana told the tiny girl in a firm voice. Normally, it would be enough to get someone to behave, it was the tone of an Alpha after all but this girl wasn’t pack and also just plain awful. Instead, Hiyoko’s gaze just locked onto Jana.  
  
” _ _I’m sorry, did you say something? I can’t understand the dumb sounds you’re making!__ ”  
  
”Dumb sounds?” Jana asked slowly. Her hands twitched by her sides, her entire body became tense as she prepared to launch herself at the nasty little brat that insulted her so harshly and pointlessly.  
  
” _ _See? You’re still doing it!__ ” Hiyoko pointed at her with a huge grin on her childlike face. “ _ _You don’t belong here, dogbreath!__ ”  
  
Jana’s lips curled back into a vicious snarl. Forget caution, she was going to put that little brat in her damn place! ”Dog breath, am I?” She growled and went to dash forward only to be held back by Gundam’s surprisingly strong grip on her bicep.  
  
“Let me go! Let me at her!” Jana yelled, struggling in his grip and on her feet, forcing him up too. Her free arm waved wildly as she tried to grab at Hiyoko or maybe claw Hiyoko’s face off, Jana wasn’t sure which as she was also spitting out her words in her native tongue, the ancient language spoken in the forests and mountains she had once called home. “Let me put that evil bitch in her proper place! I’ll pin her to the damn floor! _ _Brwydr__ _ _, calwearas, brwydr!__ ”

* * *

People scrambled. Gundam and Sonia were doing their best to hold Jana back and Kazuichi had rushed over to help them. Byakuya was shielding Hiyoko from Jana’s wrath and everyone else just moved away. The expression on Akane’s face was one of curiosity and excitement whilst Nagito looked on with his usual quiet observation, Peko had one hand reaching for the sword on her back and everyone else just looked scared. Jana pulled against her friend’s grips, her teeth bared and her eyes flashing rapidly between colours. A distant part of her mind, the tiny part that had remained calm, recognised just how stupid and dangerous this was to let that brat get under her skin so thoroughly. It also recognised how much she had scared everyone. Her temper died down, her friends let go and Jana noticed that it was now only herself and Byakuya in the restaurant. She blinked in confusion. Byakuya pointed to her handbook still laying on the table by her empty breakfast plate so she picked it up and kept her eyes low, her head hung in shame. She was ready for the lecture she was likely to get.  
  
” _ _Allow me to fill you in on what you missed whilst you were busy acting like a wild animal.”__  Byakuya began sternly. He had a point... Could Jana have been any more obvious in her behaviour? ” _ _We all agreed on using the old building by the hotel for our party and held a random drawing to select someone to clean it. Nevermind drew for you. Komaeda lost and is now attending to his duty as is Hanamura. Saionji was instructed to leave first and your friends instructed to leave last once we were sure you had calmed down. Now... Care to explain your outburst?”__  The tone was firm and demanding, it left no room for argument.  
  
”I’m sorry.” She began, her voice quiet as her instincts recognised an Alpha’s demand. Even other Alphas had to bend sometimes. “I know my behaviour isn’t acceptable. I’ve snapped at Teruteru multiple times, I almost started a fight with Fuyuhiko last night and I could have easily hurt Hiyoko today.” She didn’t even try to stick to honorifics; her focus was on apologising and explaining her behaviour without exposing her secret as she had come close to doing a lot over the last two days.  
  
” _ _I’m not the one you should be apologising to and you haven’t fully explained yet.”__ _ _  
____  
__ ”You heard what she said!” Jana snapped before closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths to calm herself down again. “She insulted my lack of Japanese, she insulted the fact that I'm European and I'm just waiting for her to try that on Sonia now, she insulted my way of life, she essentially called me stupid and after everything that had happened... It was the final straw. The stress, the confusion from last night, sleeping so poorly since getting here, it lead to me snapping. Her cruel words were that final push that sent me over the edge. It’s no excuse, I know, and keeping my temper under control is my responsibility and mine alone and I shouldn’t have let something as petty as words break that control.”  
  
Jana could feel Byakuya’s gaze burning into her, she didn’t need to raise her head to know that.  
  
” _ _While I understand the reaction, you’re absolutely right about your temper being yours to control and manage. Answer me honestly, Vilkas, could you accidentally kill if provoked?”__    
  
Of course he wanted to know that; he had a pack to protect after all and a promise to keep. Jana allowed herself a small smile. Byakuya was a good leader. Taking a deep breath, Jana answered with the first absolute truth she’d told since getting here.  
  
”Yes... I hate to admit it but I could. If were to lose my cool and end up killing someone, I would deeply regret it. I wouldn’t put up a fight in the trial and accept my punishment.”  
  
The silence stretched between them for what felt like hours before she heard Byakuya sigh.  
  
” _ _Thank you for your honesty. I can see that you regret your actions from earlier so I will let you roam the island but make an effort to avoid confrontations with Saionji from now on, if you could.”__ _ ___  
  
Jana finally looked up in shock, her eyes meeting his as the translated words on her handbook showed just what he’d said. ”I... Y-yes, of course. I don’t want to fall into Monokuma’s paws.”

Byakuya then sat down at a table that hadn’t been used that morning for breakfast and pushed out a chair for Jana, gesturing for her to sit.  
  
” _ _Before you go, there is something I’d like to ask you; leader to leader.”__ _ _  
____  
__ ”Leader to leader?” Jana slowly repeated. “You have more experience than me, I’m not sure how much help I can give but I’ll listen.”  
  
” _ _But as a leader, you know how to read people and are likely the best at it out of everyone here.”__  Jana nodded as she conceded the point.  
  
She was very good at reading people when she wasn’t trying to attack them and wasn’t letting her wolf get out of control. So thinking along those lines and thinking back to her own experiences, Jana tried to figure out exactly what Byakuya wanted from her. He certainly had things under control and people listened to him though it was probably difficult without someone to run interference if he was busy and shouldering everything on his own was only going to wear him out in the long run. Even Jana had had help in the form of Ceri and occasionally Meinir once she had stopped making power grabs... That was it!  
  
”You want me to give you an overview of the group. Report the mood, tell you what’s going on in their heads.” The smirk she got in response was all the confirmation she needed. “From what I’ve gathered when I’m not angry or panicking, the others definitely accept you as the leader. True, Mahi- uhm, Koizumi-san seemed to have a little trouble but why, I couldn’t say. But everyone is alright with you taking charge and taking on a burden that frightens them all. As for actual trust and loyalty... We haven’t known each other long enough to establish that, I’m afraid. We all listen to you and most of us do it gladly but I don’t think there’s a strong foundation of loyalty and trust yet. You’re a good peacekeeper; you soothe tempers and clashing personalities and after this morning, you’re obviously accustomed to making quick decisions. Your actions last night and this morning have shown a lot and spoken more than your inspiring words, give it time and the trust and loyalty will grow and you will lead us to safety.”  
  
Her gaze had wandered as she had pictured the different events in her mind’s eye, recalling as much as she could and trying to remember peoples’ facial expressions and words and body language. It was difficult to put her thoughts into words and phrase everything in a way that Byakuya would understand whilst avoiding frightening him or insulting him. Yes, he was a gifted leader but it was still early days and with their current circumstances, people would follow to survive and avoid making difficult choices rather than out of true trust and loyalty. Jana felt that Byakuya needed to be aware of that. Byakuya hadn’t moved or made a sound as she’d spoken, she’d seen his gaze flit between her face and her handbook to read her spoken words translated into Japanese for him to understand; she’d had to suppress a shiver under his scrutiny. For a second, she’d seen Kincaid instead of Byakuya and had to remind herself that that was a long time ago and he couldn’t hurt her any more.  
  
” _ _Thank you, Vilkas.__ ” Byakuya eventually said. “ _ _I wasn’t expecting a lot of what you said but your observations and conclusions make sense. I have things to do to prepare for the party tonight, you’re excused and please remember your promise about confronting Saionji.”__ _ ___  
  
”I’ll avoid her, I promise and thank you for forgiving me, Togami-san. I’ll see you at the party tonight.”


	9. Chapter 1: Sun, Sea and Monochrome - The Deadly Life Of The Party (Day 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party has begun! Nothing could possibly ruin this happiness... right?

According to the little digital clock on her handbook, it was only ten in the morning and she wasn’t meeting the girls until the afternoon; Mahiru would probably come and find her when she wanted to get the baking started seeing as the girl hadn’t given a specific time to meet. Jana also wanted to talk to Mikan because the nurse just seemed so timid; it sort of reminded Jana of her first days in Stoneybridge. Then there was Kazuichi and his current behaviours involving Sonia. He could definitely be a good friend in time and he seemed interesting and he could certainly crush on whoever he liked, crushes couldn’t be controlled or helped after all. But he was toeing the line of what was acceptable and she wanted to nip this behaviour in the bud before it reached a point of obsession. With the girls meeting up later in the afternoon, she could see Mikan then. With that decided, Jana pulled out her handbook and selected the map then Kazuichi’s icon... At the airport again? She simply shrugged and made her way there, enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine; it wasn’t so humid today but it was still beautifully warm. Still too warm for Jana’s favourite jacket and she should probably go grab some sun cream as she was a very pale girl and a redhead to boot but as long as she was sensible and stayed inside, she should be okay for today. She’d grab some on the way back seeing as the shop was on the way to the restaurant. Arriving in the airport, Jana soon regretted her choice as the windows here were currently facing the sun so the air inside was incredibly hot and stuffy and while the conveyor belt was working, not much else was.  
  
”Why am I doing this again?” Jan mumbled to herself and grabbed a lonely leaflet sitting on a check-in desk to use as a fan. “Right, to hang out with a friend. Kazuki! No that was wrong... Kazichi, it’s Jana!” She called, not wanting to startle him like last time. Though he probably wasn’t responding because she was mispronouncing his name. ”Kaz!” She called again, a little louder and to try out a nickname. She liked the sound of it and if he didn’t mind and gave her permission, maybe she would just stick to that.  
  
”Yo, Jana!” He called back, waving from a doorway off to her left, wrench and screwdriver held tight in his other hand.  
  
Jana happily approach and greeted him warmly. “There you are. You look like you’re fixing things up. What’s the project this time?”  
  
”Fixing the air conditioning actually. Can’t stand the heat in here for much longer, it’s almost better outside, at least there’s a slight breeze today!” He grumbled, taking off his beanie and fanning his rosy cheeks for a few seconds.  
  
”Agreed. People from the British Isles are not built for this heat. It feels like I’m breathing steam.” Jana pouted a little as Kazuichi laughed.  
  
”Here, I grabbed a couple of extras to keep me cool while I was working but it looks like you really need it more.” He said, reaching into a pocket in his jumpsuit and pulling out a small hand held battery powered fan. Jana practically pounced on it and shot Kazuichi a grateful smile as she turned it on and held it up to her reddened face.  
  
”Thanks, Kaz.”  
  
”...Kaz?” He asked slowly. She realised her slip up and flushed.  
  
”S-Sorry. I’ve been having a little trouble saying some people’s names fluently.” Jana explained. “Yours, Fuyu-... Fuyuhiko and Ba- Beeya-...”  
  
”You mean Byakuya?”  
  
”Yeah, him.” She pulled out her handbook from her jean pocket as she had been carrying her jacket in her arms due to the heat and didn’t want to risk it falling out. “I made a pronunciation guide for myself on the first day and I still can’t get the hang of the longer names.”  
  
Kazuichi peered over at the screen to read what she had written and gave her some advice to help improve her pronunciation and even consented to Jana sticking to calling him Kaz. She held tools and wires for him as he worked on the air conditioning units in the airport and they talked casually about places they would’ve liked to go to on holiday.  
  
”Sonia ever talk about Novoselic?” Kazuichi asked as casually as he could but Jana knew better; she could see the pink tint to his cheeks and the way his hands slowed as he fiddled with a screw that had already been dealt with.  
  
”About the scenery and wildlife mostly, why?”  
  
The only sound for about a minute was metal on metal, moving slowly and ringing in the stuffy air around them until finally, Kazuichi answered very slowly. ”Just wondering what a gorgeous princess talks about.” His gaze remained fixed on his hands and Jana could see a new tension in his body; like he was preparing for something... An attack of some kind, maybe?  
  
”With the way you’ve been acting, I was wondering if you’d developed a small crush.” Jana calmly commented and just watched his body language out of the corner of her eye; he hadn’t relaxed at all, if anything, his apparent nervousness had gotten worse. “You know crushes are normal, right?”  
  
”I know!”  
  
”Then what’re you so nervous about? I’m not about to do anything and honestly, I don’t blame you. Sonia’s very pretty.”  
  
Kazuichi finally relaxed and she could see his usual pointed smile spreading across his face again. Good, disaster averted. “She’s perfect~” He swooned... Swooned! Wow, the boy had it bad and it had only been a few days.  
  
”She’s very interesting to talk to.” Jana pointed out. “Maybe if you treated her like any other classmate and took the time to really get to know her, you could gain a good friend.”  
  
Metal scratching had stopped, there was no sound around them now. Her sharp eyes caught the glint of the spanner falling from Kazuichi’s hand and her own snapped out to grab the falling tool before she could think about the consequences of showing off her fast reflexes.  
  
”B-But she’s a princess!” He exclaimed, apparently not noticing... No, his eyes were flickering down to her hand and the spanner held tight there. He noticed. He totally noticed. “Nice catch. Something else you learned traveling around all the time?”  
  
And just like that, the subject had been changed but Jana felt the situation hadn’t really been resolved. Kazuichi needed to know that he had to treat everyone like a classmate, like an equal, and that included Sonia. Hell, Jana knew for a fact that Sonia wanted to be treated as a normal girl for a change but her handbook reminded her about the baking party before she could advise her pink haired friend. She was filled in on what went down while she was getting told off; Nagito had suggested drawing lots to decide who would clean out the old building and somehow, there was just enough for everyone present with none left over. Nagito had ended up with cleaning duty. Apparently his luck had probably influenced the drawing. That was interesting, she would’ve liked to have taken part to make it more fair. As the morning faded, Jana waved good bye and explained she was meeting the girls and thanked him again for the electric fan as she darted off, hoping she wouldn’t be too late.

About halfway back to the hotel, Jana bumped into Hajime.  
  
”Ah, sorry.” She said, wincing in embarrassment as she extended her hand to help him back to his feet. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.”  
  
” _ _You sure were in a hurry, everything alright, Vilkas?__ ” Hajime politely asked her, brushing down his shirt.  
  
That reminded her, she should probably do the same and preferably before sand got into awkward and uncomfortable places. She had also fallen and just gotten back on her feet quicker. This was why running on sand was generally a bad idea, why did she think cutting across the beach would be a good shortcut?  
  
”I just didn’t want to be late for a baking party the other girls are having. Koizumi-san is hosting and I really don’t want to be the one who arrives late.”  
  
” _ _I understand, Koizumi has a pretty forceful personality. Actually, that’s why I’m headed over there now.__ ”  
  
Jana tilted her head in curiosity. “You’re going too?” With how much Mahiru stressed the importance of ‘no guys’, she was surprised that Hajime had also gained an invitation. Apparently, he was still trying to wrap his head around it too as he flushed a little and started rubbing the back of his neck and refusing to meet her gaze.  
  
” _ _I got a recipe book from that slot machine hidden by the palm trees on the beach and when she mentioned that she didn’t really know how to make desserts, I offered to give it to her. So she gave me an invite.__ ”  
  
She listened to his story as they walked the rest of the way to the hotel and restaurant. It was a relief to step inside and get out of the midday heat but apparently, Jana was the only one having problems with all this sunny weather. Sure everyone else got a little red faced and sweaty if they were active but she seemed to be the only one who developed heat sickness if she was out in the sun for too long. Maybe it was because she was British.  
  
”I guess there’s still more to learn about Koizumi-san.” Jana smiled fondly as she thought of just how many times she’d changed her thoughts and expectations of the photographer already.  
  
” _ _I think I know what you mean.__ ” Hajime laughed.

* * *

The moment both of the crossed the threshold of the restaurant, they had to jump back in surprise as a pink blur appeared out of nowhere, startling both of them.  
  
” _ _Aaaaahhh, w-why is Hinata-kun here?__ ” Monomi exclaimed.  
  
” _ _Oh, it’s just you.__ ” Hajime responded with a roll of his eyes while Jana simply put on a poker face. She didn’t really want to talk to the rabbit today after everything that had been revealed last night.  
  
” _ _You can’t be here! This is a girls only party, no boys allowed__.”  
  
”Are you just repeating Koizumi-san’s words? Because she did give him an invite.” Jana stated, still refusing to look at the tiny rabbit.  
  
” _ _Yeah, exactly.__ ” Hajime agreed once he’d glanced over at Jana’s handbook to see what she’d said. “ _ _I was invited so can you please let me through?__ ”  
  
Before Monomi could step aside, two of the girls stepped over looking curious rather than angry or irritated. Just like Monomi, Sonia and Chiaki questioned why Hajime had arrived but they accepted his reasons once he held up the dessert recipes he’d offered to Mahiru.  
  
” _ _Hey question!__ ” Akane asked once Jana took her place at the table next to Sonia and far away from Hiyoko. “ _ _What’s Monomi doing here?__ ”  
  
” _ _Chiaki invited me.__ ” Monomi mumbled nervously.  
  
” _ _Mhm.__ ” Chiaki replied in her usual soft gentle tones. “ _ _I invited her.__ ”  
  
”Hey Sonia?” Jana whispered. “When is someone allowed to drop honourifics and switch to their first name? Like Monomi just did?”  
  
”It is usually because you have known that person for a very long time. Perhaps they are a family member or a lifelong friend.” Sonia whispered back before pointing Jana to the sink so she could wash her hands.

The girls all followed the different recipes very closely but despite that, there were obvious differences in skill level. Peko and Mahiru were surprisingly good cooks and had little trouble with any of the provided recipes whilst Akane... Had pretty much given up after the first one and was much happier being a taste tester for the rest of the group. Ibuki had a lot of fun making a little sculpture in her own image and Sonia and Mikan weren’t too bad with the delicate work of icing and decorating cakes but weren’t so good with getting the weights of the ingredients right. It didn’t help that Sonia kept getting distracted and Mikan was translating the recipes for Jana who was absolutely terrible at cooking. Cooking just wasn’t her thing and trying to watch her handbook to follow conversations whilst listening to Mikan’s nervous stammering of each instruction wasn’t doing her any favours. Chiaki was just fine with the simple recipes and happily whipped up tray after tray of cookies. They even sat down and enjoyed their baked treats after everything was done. Jana fell in love with the cookies and the lighter pastries but found the chocolatey desserts too heavy for her. Anything with fruit in it was a winner though. As they ate, Hajime and Sonia were kind enough to start coaching her through a basic conversation with Sonia providing the phrases for Jana to write down phonetically and memorise and repeat whilst Hajime was essentially the practise dummy. He turned out to be a very good practice partner; he didn’t speak so slowly that she felt patronized and also not so fast that she didn’t catch the phonetic sounds of the different words.  
  
”Maybe I should practice some more at the party tonight?” She suggested after a good hour of just sitting and eating pastries, cleaning up and letting everything digest.  
  
The restaurant still smelled of baking and it was a very soothing scent that wasn’t overly sweet; coupled with all the sweets that had been eaten and Jana felt incredibly sleepy. She would probably take a short nap before the party seeing as it would be going all night and she really wanted to try Teruteru’s food.    
  
” _ _Best way to get better at a language is to practice, right Nevermind?__ ” Hajime asked and Sonia nodded in response, sticking with Japanese to keep Hajime in the loop.  
  
” _ _You have the advantage of being surrounded by native speakers, Jana. I am meeting with Tanaka-san later and I can arrange for him to stick to the phrases you have been practicing here.__ ”

Jana saw Hajime glance between the two girls in confusion, his smile turning into a small frown as he tried to puzzle through something.  
  
” _ _Do you two already know each other that well?__ ” He curiously asked them both. Jana immediately realised what was going on here and giggled.  
  
”No, we don’t but we do get along very well.” Jana began, smiling at her first friend on the island.  
  
” _ _We apologise, Hinata-san, we tend to slip back into European habits when we are around each other.__ ” Sonia continued but Hajime still looked a little confused so Jana took over again to explain.  
  
”We don’t really use honourifics in the English language. There isn’t really a set way to explain how close you are to someone, that all depends on the people and how they interact.”  
  
” _ _The norm in Japan is using suffixes and introducing yourself with your family name first.”__  Sonia continued, explaining as patiently as she had done when teaching Jana some basic phrases. “ _ _However, in English, your given name comes first. When speaking to those in authority such as teachers, bosses or the police, then Mr or Mrs or Miss are used depending on the gender and marital status of whoever it is you are speaking or writing to. When it is family or friends, you simply use their names or perhaps any nicknames you may have come up with.__ ”  
  
Jana could see it in Hajime’s expression and in his eyes as he started to understand. He sort of lit up a little and smiled. He seemed to be a very intelligent boy, he was definitely observant if he picked up on Sonia’s slip up so easily. Yawning and stretching, Jana pulled herself to her feet.  
  
”I think I’m going to take a nap before the party tonight. Thank you for helping me out, Hinata-san. I’ll see you later, Sonia.” She waved at them both before heading back to her cottage.

* * *

Jana drifted in and out of sleep for several hours until finally, at around, eight o clock, she could no longer get to sleep so she spent an hour reviewing and practicing what she’d learned at the baking gathering. She repeated the phrases to herself over and over again until her attention started to wander and she was struggling to retain anything new. Since there was nothing else to do, Jana rifled through her things to find her spare change of clothes; a darker pair of jeans, a pair of silver flats and a matching silvery flowing tank top with spaghetti straps. She set those on her bed and had a quick shower to freshen up before the party; the entire class would be socialising and it would be her first party with them all. She wanted to make a good impression. She had gotten along with Sonia, Hajime and Kazuichi pretty well already and Mikan was very interesting to talk to once Jana started a conversation about healing methods whilst on the move. She probably wouldn’t be making friends with Hiyoko any time soon but if tonight went well, Jana could start a friendship with Gundam. Once her hair was dried and brushed, Jana decided to take the side portions and make two braids encircling her head and then braid them together at then back. Just to make a change. So far, she’d only had the front portion braided running along her hairline and tucked behind her ear with the rest of her hair but since tonight was about having fun, she thought she may as well put a little effort into things. Did she have any make up with her? A quick check of her bags proved that she didn’t.  
  
”Oh well, not like I’m any good at the stuff anyway.” She told herself with a shrug.

She stepped out of her cottage into the cool night air and glanced up and down the rows of small beach cottages to see if anyone was out and about. Ibuki was wandering around and had changed into denim shorts and a clean shirt with her usual torn knee highs. She seemed to just be dancing up and down the path, bobbing her head to music only she could hear and occasionally knocking on peoples’ doors to make sure they were getting ready. Jana gave her a friendly wave, her other hand prepared to take her handbook out of her pocket if Ibuki started speaking but the musician simply waved and grinned back and continued dancing. Jana spotted Sonia waiting for her by the pool looking very elegant in a dark green cocktail dress; it wasn’t too different from what she had been wearing but it was nice to know that both people she had seen so far had also put in a little extra effort made her feel better about her own clothing choices.

“Good evening, Jana, are you ready for the party?” Sonia asked. Those bright eyes of hers were even brighter as they practically sparkled with excitement.  
  
”I can’t wait! We’ll get to know everyone and we’ll just have a really good time.” Jana replied, linking her arm through Sonia’s and playfully curtsying. “If I may, Princess?”  
  
Sonia giggled and curtsied right back. “Lead the way, my friend.”  
  
The walk was maybe ten seconds as the pool was not that large and the old building was on the other side of it, right next to the hotel and restaurant. It was an old wooden building with a very simple porch and the door was wide open for now so both girls stepped into the hallway, looking around at what there was to see. Frankly, there wasn’t much; just a desk to their right and Byakuya still in his usual white suit. Perhaps he’d changed into a cleaner one? It had been pretty humid today, Jana couldn’t imagine he’d kept the same change of clothes. Expecting a conversation, Jana pulled her handbook out.  
  
” _ _Good evening, Nevermind, Vilkas.__ ” Byakuya said as he joined them from his post.  
  
” _ _Good evening, Togami-san.__ ” Sonia replied, equally politely and nudged Jana who managed to stumble out the same greeting, making him raise his an eyebrow in surprise.  
  
” _ _Your pronunciation needs a little work, Vilkas-san, but it was an impressive first attempt.__ ”  
  
” _ _Thank you.”__  It was really the only word Jana could say confidently when she remembered to use it.  
  
” _ _If you could take turns in standing here, arms out and legs spread.__ ” Byakuya continued making both girls freeze and look at him with confusion.  
  
”Why?” Jana asked slowly.  
  
” _ _Body search.__ ”  
  
”Again, why? This is a party, not a prison.” Though that was debatable considering the demonic bear they were forced to call their headmaster.  
  
” _ _I’m simply making sure I keep my promise to everyone__.”  
  
Jana turned this over in her mind as she recalled their leader’s promise; to not let anyone become a victim. He was a little paranoid if he though something was going to happen. Absolutely, anything could happen on this island now that Monokuma had stirred up some trouble but what reason did he have to think that something could happen tonight? Never mind, tonight was about having fun and really getting to know her classmates. Jana stepped forward, holding her arms out to the side and spreading her legs a little. She’d once worked for a big company and during her training period, they were just as paranoid so she’d had a lot of experience with body searches. Byakuya was thorough in his search for anything he deemed dangerous but he was also very respectful; his hands didn’t linger anywhere inappropriate or uncomfortable for too long and once he had checked the pockets of the jacket she was carrying, he stepped away and moved onto Sonia who copied her red haired friend.  
  
”What are those behind you?” Jana asked, pointing to the two silver cases sitting just behind Byakuya, both currently closed and never out of his line of sight.  
  
” _ _One is for storing dangerous items, so far I’ve only had to confiscate a few accessories that looked a little too sharp. The other case... Hopefully, I won’t need it.__ ”  
That was a little strange and more than a little worrying but Jana wasn’t about to say anything; whatever made Byakuya feel secure.

* * *

The two girls wandered the cabin, just peeking into the different rooms that were there but not really entering them and exploring. Jana just wanted to know where everything was and Sonia wanted to know who was here already. The main office was completely empty, containing only a desk, some shelves, an air conditioning unit and a circuit breaker which was far too high on the wall for anyone to reach. Wasn’t that a little unsafe? What if there was an electrical problem? They found a single toilet cubicle with the plate on it signifying it was unisex so no matter what, only one person could be in the toilet at a time which could prove a problem if too many people drank too much and weren’t comfortable with stepping outside and using a bush instead. They separated in the hallway; Sonia staying behind to say hello to Hajime and Jana following her nose past the kitchen (she feared she wouldn’t want to leave if she peeked inside) and heading into the dining hall. It was a work of art considering what it must have been like before Nagito started cleaning it. Her eyes were wide as she slowly spun on the spot, just observing the streamers that criss-crossed the ceiling and the stripped rug that covered most of the floor apart from the very edges so almost all of the gaps in the aged wooden floor were covered. Above them hung a gorgeous chandelier, providing practically all of the light in the bright room and at the very centre were three tables, dressed in plain tablecloths and absolutely covered in plates of hand made party food. There was a little bit of everything; fast food like burgers and biscuits and crisps but also some proper dishes of meat, some rice and some potatoes. Teruteru had gone all out and it smelled delicious. Jana had to hold a hand up to her mouth as she felt drool starting to collect at the corners and she didn’t want to embarrass herself but Gods, the food looked as good as it smelled~ It was divine.

Kazuichi was the first to approach her. “Hey Jana, you made it!”  
  
”Of course I did, Kaz, I wasn’t about to miss a chance to get to know everyone and practice my Japanese.” Jana grinned back though she had a hard time keeping eye contact with him when all she wanted to look at was the incredible food.  
  
”You’re as bad as Owari!” Kazuichi told her as he let out a bark of laughter and jabbed his thumb at the group’s gymnast.  
  
The girl was just staring at the tables, completely frozen in place like a bloodhound and she was genuinely drooling and seemed completely unaware of everything around her. Once again, Jana dabbed at her own mouth to make sure she wasn’t in the same predicament. “Anyway, what were you saying about practicing your Japanese?”

  
Jana’s grin grew a little as she very carefully pronounced the words she’d been practicing. “ _ _Good evening, Souda-san, how are you?__ ” She was very pleased when her friend blinked and then grinned in recognition.  
  
”Hey, not bad! It’s still pretty heavily accented but I can’t talk. Now you just need to get more confident speaking faster.”  
  
Jana was about to ask him to begin helping her when she noticed his twitching hands. It looked like he was playing with something that wasn’t actually there. “Are you okay, Kaz? You’re looking a little twitchy.”  
  
”Huh?” He asked before grinning nervously and shoving both hands into his pockets. “Oh... Togami didn’t like me carrying a wrench in my pocket.” He admitted with embarrassment.  
  
”The one you’ve been carrying around to ease your nerves?”  
  
”Yup.”  
  
What kind of damage could a spanner do? There weren’t many people who would have the arm strength to make a damaging blow with a spanner; Akane and Nekomaru definitely would, Peko likely would be able to as well and Jana herself could also probably find the strength to do it. Were any of them likely to actually go through with it? Jana couldn’t imagine any of them doing that.

  
“ _ _Hi guys.__ ” Came the voice of Hajime as he joined their conversation. “ _ _Can you believe that Komaeda did all this by himself in just a day?__ ”  
  
”It’s very impressive.” Jana commented, looking around once more.  
  
” _ _Did you get body searched too?__ ” He asked and both Jana and Kazuichi nodded.  
  
” _ _He took my wrench!__ ” Kazuichi sniffled. Having already heard his plight, Jana wandered away to see Gundam; she was supposed to be practicing with him before the party really started.  
  
” _ _Hello Tanaka-san, how are you?__ ” She asked, her words still slow and over pronounced.  
  
” _ _I see you have been practicing, Wild One.__ ” He replied in that low rumble of his. “ _ _I am doing well, how are you?__ ” He replied with the phrase she had been practicing and learning to recognise; so Sonia had gotten him to agree with helping her practice. That was good to know.  
  
” _ _I’m good, thank you.__ ” Jana felt pretty proud of herself. She had only spoken two sentences and probably had awful pronunciation but she was able to say the two sentences from memory and recognised the sentences that Gundam had spoken.  
  
” _ _An acceptable start, Wild One.__ ” Well that was probably as close to praise as Jana was going to get from him but she still found herself smiling proudly and spotted Gundam smirking. “ _ _Tell me, what do you notice about this room?__ ”  
  
She'd kept her handbook in her hand and flipped it over to check what he'd said. The room? Looking around, Jana couldn’t really spot anything out of the ordinary; the chandelier was pretty stable, the food looked delicious, the rug covered most of the floor gaps, there was a great view out of the windo-... “The windows.” She muttered in realisation. “They’ve been covered up.”  
  
” _ _I see you share Supernova Silver Fox San-D’s keen sight__.” Her eyes flickered over the hamsters that were currently perched on his shoulders and in his scarf, three had silver colouring to them and the final one was golden. She decided to just stay quiet.  
  
” _ _Now then, let us practice your incantations.__ ” Her what? But Jana soon discovered that he simply wanted to go over the phrases she had been learning and teaching her some new ones so she could try to have an actual conversation while she was here. Socialising was the point of the party after all, that and apparently letting Byakuya deal with whatever paranoia he was having.

Speaking of Byakuya, he finally entered the dining hall carrying both of those cases and following behind everyone else who had finally turned up. He apologised for making everyone wait before taking the centre of the room where everyone could see him and he had everyones’ attention.  
  
” _ _Hanamura is still in the kitchen.__ ” He informed them all. “ _ _And I see that Kuzuryuu refused to attend.__ ”  
  
”I did inform him of the party tonight.” Peko spoke up, soft voiced as always though her gaze was low in apology. She seemingly had only changed into fresh clothes rather than change her outfit, like Byakuya.  
  
” _I _t’s his fault for not joining us and being a spoilsport.__ ” Mahiru pointed out. “ _ _You don’t need to apologise for him.__ ”  
  
” _ _That is true but I did say attendance was mandatory.__ ” He reminded the girls before resting his chin on his hand as he spoke again, this time more to himself. But of course, Jana had the advantage of a sensitive microphone on her handbook for translation purposes. “ _ _But one missing person shouldn’t pose a problem.”__  
  
It was also just his bad luck that Peko was standing closest to him. “ _ _What exactly do you mean?__ ”

But he didn’t answer, he was lost in thought when he suddenly zeroed in on the food laden table. He stormed towards it, grabbing the skewered meats and devouring them like a half starved animal; it was a little disgusting... Jana hadn’t even seen her pack eat like that at their most feral.  
  
” _ _Hey, you’re hogging all the food!__ ” Akane cried, trying to snatch it back from him but he just dodged and continued eating.  
  
” _ _I’m not!__ ” He replied through mouthfuls of meat.  
  
” _ _You’re totally pigging out!__ ” Mahiru shot back.  
  
” _ _No, really, I’m not doing it to be greedy!__ ” He said once he’d finished his mouthful... At least he’d remembered to do that much. “ _ _Look carefully at this dish.__ ” He instructed, holding out the half finished skewers.  
  
” _ _All I see is delicious roasted meat.__ ” Nekomaru helpfully contributed, receiving a roll of the eyes for the group’s leader.  
  
” _ _What is stabbed into the meat?__ ”  
  
” _ _...an iron skewer.__ ” Peko answered after a moment’s thought.  
  
” _ _Exactly, it’s dangerous and it needs to be confiscated.__ ”  
  
His paranoia knew no bounds but Jana felt that he had a point. While Teruteru had worked very hard on the food, he had also provided possible weapons for a possible killer. Jana wanted to think that no one would ever give in to Monokuma’s temptations but, as an Alpha, a leader, she had to be realistic. With so much tension and uncertainty, with Monokuma offering to restore their missing memories, someone could take the bait. Someone could give in to the temptation and try to kill. It was at that moment that Teruteru peeked into the dining hall.  
  
” _ _Oh hey, everyone’s arrived, should I bring in the rest of the dis-... Huh?!__ ” His beady little eyes saw Byakuya holding fully exposed iron skewers and no roasted meat on them. “ _ _W-Who ruined my arrangement?!__ ”  
  
Byakuya stepped up, looming over the much smaller boy and looking fierce. “Just what were you thinking, cooking with something so dangerous?” He asked in a very low voice.  
  
” _ _I-I thought everyone would like tasting this South American dish.__ ” Teruteru explained, trembling like a leaf in a gale force breeze. “ _ _C-Churrasco is cooked on the skewer.__ ”  
  
” _ _The skewers are a problem.__ ”  
  
” _ _Huh?! Skewers aren’t allowed either?!__ ” Had Byakuya already given him instructions as to what was dangerous or not? Well Teruteru had been in the kitchen all day and Byakuya had probably made sure he was the first one here apart from Nagito and Teruteru so it was entirely possible.  
  
” _ _With how you’re acting, I’m suspecting there’s more... Hinata, Vilkas, please follow me.__ ”

* * *

Jana perked up from her place between Sonia and Gundam, shrugged in confusion at Hajime and followed Byakuya to the kitchen. The moment she stepped in, she had to check the corners of her mouth again because it smelled incredible in there. There were a lot of spices and flavours that she recognised and just as many that she couldn’t name and they all mixed together in the air creating a scented heaven for Jana. But she had to focus. Byakuya wanted her for some reason.  
  
”What exactly can we do?” She asked him.  
  
” _ _Help me search the kitchen. Both of you are very observant though I do have an ulterior motive to keeping you in sight.__ ”  
  
Jana nodded, appreciating the honesty after she’d given him the same courtesy that morning. “My temper this morning... I understand.” She got to work, Byakuya starting on one side of the kitchen, Hajime on the other and herself searching through the cupboards. Being a little shorter than both of the boys, Jana surprised them both with how agile and balanced she was when climbing on things to reach higher storage spaces.  
  
” _ _Forks and knives are on this shelf.__ ” Byakuya said after several minutes, presenting the set to the other two.  
  
” _ _I understand the knives, Togami.__ ” Hajime began. “ _ _But we really do need the forks to eat.__ ”  
  
” _ _They’re dangerous, chopsticks will be just fine as utensils__.”  
  
”Someone had better teach me how to use them.” Jana pointed out with a huff.  
  
” _ _A lot of the food is finger food, you can simply use your hands if you’re having a hard time.__ ” Byakuya shot back, making Jana scowl in irritation.  
  
He still threw every single knife and fork into the duralumin case he was still carrying around with him. They all returned to scouring the kitchen for anything that Byakuya would dub ‘dangerous’. With all the higher cupboards searched, Jana hopped down from the kitchen counter she had been kneeling on and began to search the lower cupboards, slowly and stealthily making her way towards some of the food that Teruteru hadn’t yet delivered into the dining hall. There were several European dishes; soups and spaghetti appearing the most so at least there was the option of having an actual meal rather than pigging out on junk food all night. There was seafood that she couldn’t wait to try and the one thing that made her mouth start to water was a gigantic piece of cooked meat still on its bone. It would probably feed her city pack and her father’s wild pack all at once! She jumped a little as she felt someone tap her shoulder. It was just Hajime and he was grinning at her.  
  
” _ _Come on, Hanamura just showed up and he’s been watching you way too closely.__ ” He told her and Jana realised she probably hadn’t been that stealthy. Then her eyes flashed for barely a second as she registered that Teruteru may have been ogling her. Byakuya was showing Teruteru a piece of paper.  
  
“ _ _I found an equipment list so we’re just making sure everything’s accounted for.__ ” He quickly informed her and quickly ran through what he managed to remember from his quick glance.  
  
” _ _Wait a moment.__ ” Byakuya said, rereading something on the list. “ _ _Five iron skewers? I only found four in the dining hall. Would you happen to know where the fifth one is, Hanamura?__ ”  
  
” _ _No idea, I’m afraid.__ ” He replied. “ _ _It’s been missing since I got here.__ ”  
  
” _ _Very well. We apologise for making a mess, we’ll take our leave now.__ ”

* * *

As the trio headed back to the dining hall, Hajime broke the uneasy silence. “ _ _Was that really necessary?__ ”  
  
Jana just gave him a look of confusion. “Of course it was. A leader does everything in their power to protect those under their care.”  
  
” _ _I... Yes, Vilkas, that is correct.__ ” Byakuya replied. He seemed surprised that she’d spoken up so quickly. “ _ _I promised to let no one become a victim and to fulfill that, I must be very vigilant.__ ”  
  
” _ _But why?__ ” That had Jana and Byakuya slowing their steps. “ _ _Don’t get me wrong, it’s admirable and I’m really glad you care about all of us that much, but you just seem kind of paranoid. I might be assuming and end up being totally wrong here but... Did something happen to you? To make you this protective and paranoid?__ ”  
  
Hajime had some very good points, she realised. “I have to agree with him on this point, Togami-san, why throw a party like this all of a sudden?”  
  
Thinking about all of his behaviour this morning and tonight, he was going above and beyond his promise to protect. No, Byakuya knew something. Getting secure cases, preparing one ‘for emergencies’, keeping as much to himself as possible, purposefully searching out dangerous items; it was almost as though he was expecting something to happen tonight. Sure, everyone was on edge a little after last night but what reason did he have to expect something to happen tonight?  
  
” _ _I’ve always been a distrustful person.__ ” Byakuya said in response to Hajime’s question.  
  
Jana knew she was essentially giving him the puppy dog eyes because Byakuya had been so silent about his own past beyond being the heir to a huge financial conglomerate. She could see Hajime doing something similar out of the corner of her eye though he didn’t seem aware of it.  
  
“ _ _Oh fine, it’s not something I usually like to talk about but I suppose I can share a little. But keep in mind that my skeptical nature keeps me from saying anything.__ ” They moved away from the door to the dining hall so that the others inside didn’t hear and Jana and Hajime patiently waited. ” _ _I have always had very little trust in others.__ ” Byakuya began. “ _ _And in return, almost no one trusted me. Such a life is a living hell. It really shouldn’t be a surprise that I turned out the way I am but perhaps my nature can be put to good use in this situation. Skepticism is going to be necessary to survive here.__ ”  
It certainly gave Jana a lot to think about. This was probably the most honest she’d heard Byakuya be but he wasn’t really saying anything pertaining to his past.  
  
” _ _I... Don’t wanna push or anything but about your past.__ ” Hajime began slowly. So he wanted to know too? It was definitely a curious subject.  
  
” _ _Not today, now isn’t the time.__ ” Byakuya quickly cut him off and both Hajime and Jana visibly slumped in disappointment. “ _ _But one day, I can’t say when, a time will come when I will tell you about it.__ ”  
  
Hajime seemed satisfied with this and turned to head back into the dining hall. Once the door closed, Jana tapped Byakuya’s shoulder to get his attention. After listening to him speak, her instincts had started to stir and it caught her attention very quickly. She wanted to help, she wanted to protect this new pack she’d found herself in but she couldn’t do it as an Alpha without blowing the secret and the language barrier didn’t help. She also, surprisingly, didn’t want to challenge Byakuya for his position. She was perfectly happy to stay off of everyone's radars.  
  
”I understood everything you said, Togami-san.” She started to explain. “And everything you didn’t say. We’re both leaders, I see your reasoning and I’ll keep quiet about it but I feel like I should let you in on a promise I made to myself when you took the leadership position.”  
  
She could see him looking at her curiously, his crystal blue eyes darting down to her handbook to read her translated words.

“I wanted to protect everyone silently. Stay out of eveyones’ attentions and help direct them away from Monokuma’s manipulations. But with everything you’ve said now, I’d like to amend that.” She shifted one foot forward, putting all of her weight on it and bowing at the waist as she brought up her forearm to cover her face. It was a gesture from home and while he might not understand the exact meaning behind it, Jana hoped he at least recognised what she was saying.

“I won’t take the leadership position from you, I will continue to work from the sidelines but I will also be your eyes and ears. We can both protect everyone here, no one will become a victim.”  
  
” _Stop that _, you look ridiculous.__ ” He mumbled to her and Jana just smiled to herself as she stood up.

They seemed to have a silent understanding; they wouldn’t probe into each others’ pasts despite how curious they were.

* * *

Inside the dining hall, everyone was restless with poor Hajime trying to get everyone to listen to his explanation. Mahiru was the first to see the door open.  
  
” _ _Ah, you’re back, finally! Hinata walked in without you two! He’s so irresponsible, he should’ve waited.__ ”  
  
”I kept Togami-san back because I wanted to talk to him about something.” Jana quickly replied. “That was my fault. I’m sorry for slowing the party down.”  
  
” _ _Can we eat yet?__ ” Akane whined. She had finally turned her back on the food but it was clear in the way she kept shifting that she wanted nothing more than to dig in. “ _ _I’m starving!__ ”  
  
Byakuya just shook his head and the way Akane’s expression dropped shouldn’t have been as funny as it was. Jana fought to keep the smile off of her face. “ _ _Not yet, there’s still a couple of issues that need dealing with.__ ”  
  
” _ _Who do I gotta beat the crap outta?!__ ” Akane yelled, smacking her fist into her open palm and looking ferocious at that moment. “ _ _Just say the word!__ ”  
  
” _ _That’s not necessary... The issue is where to store this case.__ ” He held up one of the cases; the one with all the dangerous items inside.  
  
” _ _You can’t just leave it out of everyone’s way but where you can always see it?__ ” Kazuichi suggested.  
  
” _ _It’s already locked so that idea would be good however I would prefer it to be kept far safer than that__.” Jana briefly met his gaze and gave a very small nod in understanding. Kazuichi’s idea was a good one but for Byakuya’s piece of mind, he’d rather it was guarded.  
  
” _ _Oh the storage room is out of the way and at the very back of the building.__ ” Sonia suggested.  
  
”But it would be unguarded.” Jana pointed out. “Did you want to assign a guard?” She asked Byakuya who nodded. It seemed their little talk had helped them understand each other. They probably wouldn’t be calling each other friends any time soon but they had a mutual understanding as leaders.  
  
” _ _No need to assign, I volunteer.__ ” Peko said, raising her hand. Mikan and Ibuki had something to say about it; asking if she was sure and if she would be lonely. “ _ _Tsumiki-san, I’m very sure of this and I’m happy to do it. Mioda-san, I won’t be lonely. I’m not the best in situations with lots of people, I prefer my own company.__ ” An introvert? That made sense actually; Jana had noticed that Peko never spoke unless she had something relevant to say.  
  
” _ _You know, if Ibuki was writing a song right now, the title would be ‘Lonely Girl In The Storage room!__ ” Ibuki chirped and Peko let out an awkward cough.  
  
” _ _As Hanamura went to so much trouble to cook, would anyone mind if I took a little food with me?__ ”  
  
” _ _It’s fine by me!__ ” Teruteru told her. And then , surprisingly, Nagito spoke up. He didn’t usually say much when things were peaceful.  
  
” _ _You might want to avoid the storage room.__ ” He told Peko. “ _ _It’s packed with a lot of stuff and it’s all dusty and full of spiders and cobwebs. I’m afraid I was so busy cleaning the dining hall that I didn’t get around to cleaning the storage room.__ ” He shot the swordswoman an apologetic smile. “ _ _It probably wouldn’t be good for your health if you stayed there all night.__ ”  
  
” _ _The office then?__ ” Byakuya suggested to Peko. “ _ _There’s also a circuit breaker in there so can I as you to guard that as well?__ ”  
  
” _ _That should be suitable. I did get a look in there as I was working on the dining hall and it isn’t nearly as bad as the storage room.__ ” Nagito confirmed.  
  
” _ _Guard the duralumin case and the circuit breaker in the office, understood.__ ” Peko said with a nod before grabbing herself a plate of food and leaving the dining hall.  
  
” _ _She’s got such a cool melancholy vibe.__ ” Ibuki commented once Peko had vanished form sight.  
  
” _ _Hey, what about that second case?__ ” Hiyoko asked, pointing to it as it was still sat at Byakuya’s feet.  
  
He shook his head, gripping the handle a little tighter. “ _ _This one is staying with me.__ ”  
  
” _ _No fair! You’re the only one here with your own stuff!__ ” Hiyoko pouted before smirking cruelly. Jana shifted closer to Sonia and Gundam; both of them seemed to understand and rested their hands on her elbows, ready to hold her back. Just in case. “ _ _What if you’re planning something?__ ”  
  
Jana tensed but didn’t react. She’d promised Byakuya to keep herself under control and it helped that she was no longer a boiling pot just ready to bubble over.  
  
” _ _When you’re as special as me, you get special privileges.__ ” Byakuya snapped back and no one could argue with him. “ _ _This case stays with me. The key to the second case is also in here to make sure no one’s tempted to get anything confiscated. I can’t let anyone but myself take on this responsibility.__ ”  
  
” _ _Can we eat now?__ ” Akane practically begged. She was drooling again and blatantly staring at the table now instead of listening. “ _ _Can we start the party?__ ”  
  
” _ _Not yet, there’s still things that need dealing with.__ ”  
  
” _ _Arrrgggghhh, tell me who I gotta beat up!__ ”  
  
” _ _Owari, that’s really not necessary!__ ” Hajime piped up, trying to get her to calm down.  
  
Perhaps she shouldn’t be starting her new self appointed job so quickly but Jana wanted to get a head start on things while people were acting and reacting naturally. Akane, being so active, was very easily riled up and would apparently do anything to get at some food if she was hungry. Which was always. Hiyoko was a despicable person but didn’t have the strength to take anyone out being one of the shortest people there. Peko was calm and rational and seemed to be very good at following instructions; she might peek in later to see what the swordswoman was like when given this type of responsibility. The class was full of colourful characters, each with their own quirks and behaviours but no one seemed to be planning for something as far as Jana could tell.  
  
” _ _Well if you’re volunteering, there is still one more nuisance that I need assistance with.__ ”  
  
” _ _Monokuma, right?__ ” Hajime asked and Byakuya smirked at him.  
  
” _ _Exactly. He could and probably would disrupt this party somehow.__ ”  
  
Jana was a little worried as Akane was now facing Byakuya with a fierce grin on her face, her shoulders were hunched over a little and her hands were twitching at her sides like claws. She had to flare her nostrils to be sure that Akane wasn’t like her but no, her scent hadn’t changed. Akane was one hundred percent human, she was just a very rough and wild human with weirdly similar quirks to some of Jana’s friends back home.  
  
” _ _So I just need to beat up Monokuma and you’ll let me eat?__ ” Akane asked. Thankfully, Nekomaru stepped in.  
  
” _ _Absolutely not.__ ” He firmly told her. “ _ _You’ll end up perforated like Monomi was if you try to attack Monokuma. No picking fights with the bear.__ ”  
  
” _ _So you’re saying I should wait til I starve to death?!__ ” Akane grumbled, rounding on the coach and glaring at him.  
  
” _ _Owari, use your head. This isn’t an opponent we can deal with in a fist fight. We have to plan better than that.__ ” Byakuya told her but then, his and everyone elses’ eyes were drawn to the single hand raised in the air.

It seemed, Chiaki had an idea. “ _ _I can do something.__ ” She said, her quiet voice somehow carrying over the background muttering.  
  
” _ _You?!__ ” Kazuichi questioned in total shock. “ _ _But won’t a girl like you just be put in danger?__ ”  
  
” _ _I hate to sound sexist but in this instance, I have to agree.__ ” Byakuya slowly said to the sleepy gamer. “ _ _What exactly could you do?__ ”  
  
”Let’s hear her out.” Jana suggested. Her friends had let go of her arms so she was able to hold her handbook up for everyone to read. “She never said she would deal with Monokuma personally.”  
  
” _ _Right.__ ” Chiaki said with a nod. “ _ _I’ll just ask Monomi for a favour. She could keep Monokuma at bay... I think.__ ”  
  
It was a smart idea in Jana’s opinion; it kept Chiaki safe since it was basically look-out duty and Monomi was easily manipulated so she could help... Somehow.  
  
” _ _Yeah, they totally have that rivalry going on!__ ” Ibuki piped up, waving her hand enthusiastically in the air to get attention.  
  
” _ _It’s pretty one sided though.__ ” Hiyoko snickered.  
  
Nagito looked worried still. “ _ _Are you absolutely sure? It still seems dangerous.__ ”  
  
” _ _It’ll be fine.__ ” Chiaki said. Her voice was still soft, she hadn’t really changed her posture from her usual slouch but there was a quiet confidence in her gaze and a sincerity in her words. “ _ _If I get into trouble, I’ll just run away as fast as I can.__ ”  
  
And Jana believed her. She believed this soft voiced, sweet faced, eternally sleepy gamer girl and believed that Chiaki would be fine. Chiaki gave them all one final smile as she stepped outside, leaving Jana feeling... Well she felt okay that the gamer could handle herself and the task she volunteered for and yet, Jana couldn’t help feeling that things were going too well. That Monokuma wouldn’t like them being so carefree for long; maybe she was just worried about the bear showing up and ruining the party. No, it wasn’t that no matter how much she tried to convince herself. This was just like the first day at the beach; change was coming, she could feel it in the air as though the island itself was warning her of something.  
  
” _ _Is everything settled now?__ ” Akane asked, her back to every one else as she stared at the food laden tables like a hunting dog that had found its prey. “ _ _Can we eat now?__ ”  
  
Her behaviour seemed to actually amuse Byakuya who smirked and nodded his head. Akane quite literally pounced on the plates with a war cry and piled her first one high with a little bit of everything. Jana soon followed though she didn’t pounce like Akane had, tempting as the option was. Instead, she picked out foods she was familiar with to start off with and tried to think with her brain rather than her stomach.

* * *

  
” _ _So the banquet begins, Wild One.__ ” Gundam rumbled behind her, grabbing his own food though curiously staying away from the meats.

Actually, considering he worked with animals, that made sense. Wandering away from the table with her full plate so others had room, Jana decided to go and speak to Mikan for a while. The nurse was incredibly skittish but seemed to really appreciate someone ‘wasting their time on her’. There was so much that Jana wanted to know because this poor girl took pleasure in the slightest things such as being acknowledged. Mikan even went over some medical based Japanese with her in case of emergency which was incredibly handy and Jana dutifully recorded it. She then noticed Hajime’s contemplative face and politely thanked Mikan for a fun chat and wandered over to him.  
  
”You’re thinking too hard about something.” She told him, making him start.  
  
” _ _Oh, Vilkas, just you.__ ” He smiled in embarrassment as he nursed a glass of orange juice. “ _ _You could tell that from my face?__ ”  
  
”I held a leadership position, remember? I know how to read people.” Jana explained with an easy smile before settling next to him a few paces away from the tables. “So what’s wrong?”  
  
” _ _Something feels off about tonight and I can’t figure out what or why.__ ” He replied, hiding his frown behind his cup.  
  
Jana nodded with him. “I understand, I feel it too.” She said before finally trying some of the food she’d put onto her party plate.  
  
She was only trying a small bite of burger so she could keep speaking to Hajime without having to pause while she finished a big mouthful. But one bite turned into another and then another and the bites grew larger and larger. It was better than anything she’d ever tasted! The seasoning was perfect, it wasn’t heavy with grease, the balance between meat and greenery was perfect, the flavours of the crisps were unique and delicious... She could see Akane shoveling food into her mouth out of the corner of her eye as though she couldn’t stop and Jana was headed that way too. She dug into her chicken drumsticks like an animal, completely forgetting to mind her manners. It was a difficult thing to remember when food cooked and seasoned so perfectly was right in front of her just begging to be eaten. She could hear Hajime saying something but as she wasn’t paying attention to her handbook, she couldn’t even begin to guess at what it was. Her attention wasn’t caught until her plate was snatched from her hands and she let out a whine only to see it was Hajime looking a little irritated yet also very amused.  
  
” _ _Hanamura’s food is that good? I’ve been trying to get your attention for about five minutes now.__ ” He told her. Jana at least had the sense to flush pink in embarrassment.  
  
”Sorry... Wasn’t expecting it to taste like that. I guess he’s the Super High School Level Cook for a reason.”  
  
” _ _Just slow down a little, okay? You’ll make yourself sick otherwise.__ ” He returned her plate to her and Jana made an effort to eat a little more sensibly.

She thought that Hajime would make a decent Alpha if he were like her; he had a way of getting people to listen to him and there was a certain charisma about him. If he got his confidence up, Jana had a feeling she might even bow her head to him if she ever had to. It was unlikely as she was a very strong Alpha herself but Hajime would be a decent Alpha. Mahiru came by at that point, smiling and holding up her camera. She didn’t need to say anything and Jana smiled for the oncoming photo though wasn’t expecting the flash so blinked and hid her eyes as soon as Mahiru walked away.

About an hour into the party, things got a little strange. Nekomaru was pacing about and sweating a little. His gaze was constantly flickering towards the door to the dining hall. Feeling sorry for him, Jana followed behind Hajime to see what was wrong.  
  
” _ _I need to leave.__ ” Nekomaru was saying. “ _ _I-I have to return to my cottage.__ ”  
  
Of course, Byakuya heard that so marched over to see what the fuss was about. “ _ _I won’t allow it. I said this party was mandatory.__ ”  
  
” _ _Don’t stop me, Togami.__ ” Nekomaru warned. “ _ _Every man knows when he has to go.__ ” It almost sounded philosophical to Jana but there was more to this. Nekomaru’s voice sounded a little strained.  
  
“ _ _If I don’t leave now and go, my pride as a man would be shamed.__ ” He continued, leaving Jana very confused. His phrasing made it sound like he wasn’t really talking about leaving the party… ” _ _Shitting my pants would shame me as a man!__ ” Nekomaru roared.  
  
”...oh.” Was all Jana could really say in response. She suddenly decided that the colourful rug was much more interesting to look at and she nibbled on her third plate of food so she would have an excuse to not talk. Both Hajime and Byakuya had minorly grossed out expressions on their faces when Jana dared to glance back up.  
  
” _ _There’s a bathroom here!__ ” Byakuya pointed out. “ _ _Just use that one.__ ”  
  
” _ _I’ve been trying! The door won’t open!__ ” Nekomaru argued back. Then Gundam’s voice was added to the commotion as he tugged at his ear and searched all around him, looking scared.  
  
” _ _Where is it? This is blasphemy, where has it vanished to?!__ ” He was saying as he rotated on the spot, looking for something.  
  
”What’s wrong?” Jana asked, eager for a chance to step away from Nekomaru and his toilet talk.  
  
” _ _My earring!__ ” He exclaimed. “ _ _My Hell Hound earring has vanished into subspace!__ ”  
  
” _ _Calm down, will you?__ ” Byakuya snapped. Gundam wasn’t exactly quiet and he was only a few paces away. “ _ _It was probably dropped somewhere around here.__ ”  
  
” _ _Aaaahhhh, I’m gonna shiiiiiiit!__ ” Nekomaru loudly complained.  
  
” _ _Don’t you dare!__ ” Byakuya firmly told him. “ _ _No one wants to clean that up!__ ”  
  
” _ _Hey, anyone mind if I eat this?__ ” Akane asked, mouth half full of food as she held up something that looked like it had been left by one of the other guests.  
  
It was starting to get a little loud in here for Jana so she closed her eyes, rested her hand against her chest and breathed along with her heartbeat. It was a technique she’d come up with herself when she’d first moved to the city and the constant lights and sounds bothered her. When Jana opened her eyes again, Akane and Byakuya were in a fierce eating competition and Mahiru was hovering ready to take more photos. Not really in the mood, Jana shielded her eyes and took a few steps to the left so she was mostly behind Gundam seeing as he was right there.

 

Her ears caught a quiet beeping over all the hub-bub and then, the dining hall fell into pitch black darkness.

* * *

With the iron plates over the windows, there wasn’t even moonlight to highlight faint outlines in the darkness. No one of the others could see a thing but then, they didn’t have the advantages Jana had. She’d put her handbook back in her pocket so she had the free hands to eat but she didn’t dare pull it out and use it as a torch; people would wonder how she was able to find the right buttons in the first place. Instead, she stood perfectly still, counting under breath, her gaze jumping from person to person and mentally checking them off of her mental list of names. Gundam, Sonia, Hajime, Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki, Byakuya, Akane... Wait... Why the hell was Byakuya moving so fast? Never mind, she had something else to do at that moment! Where was she? Peko was guarding the office, Chiaki was outside, Fuyuhiko hadn’t bothered showing up, Nekomaru was here, she could hear Teruteru so he was probably in the kitchen... Was that everyone? Mikan was there, Kaz was moving along the wall perhaps to go fix something and Nagito... Wait, where did he go? As everyone let out the fearful cries, Jana counted again. Gundam, Sonia, Hajime, Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki, Akane, Nekomaru, Mikan, herself, Kaz was slowly making his way across the wall, Peko was on guard duty, Fuyuhiko hadn’t shown up, Chiaki was outsi-

The lights came back on. The sudden change from pitch black to bright lighting had Jana blinking rapidly to clear the spots from her eyesight. Everyone was standing in the centre of the room, very confused and a little nervous about the events that had just occurred. Jana ran her gaze over them all; Hajime, Sonia, Gundam, Akane, Nekomaru, Hiyoko, Mahiru, Ibuki, Nagito, Mika- Everyone was drawn to the sight of the poor nurse, sprawled on the floor in a compromising position. Again. Jana just couldn’t figure out how the girl had managed to trip over nothing and end up like... Like that! She was on her back again, arms above her head and wrists locked together but this time, her legs were spread and bent at the knees. A string of sausages had somehow been wound around her wrists with a second string of sausages loosely wrapped around her right leg. Luckily for Mikan, a plate of food had fallen and covered the underwear being flashed to the rest of the class again.  
  
” _ _I-I’m sorry!__ ” She was squeaking. “ _ _I-I’m so sorry, I tripped again!__ ”  
  
” _ _Tsumiki, I know you’re embarrassed, but how the hell did you trip and land like that again?__ ” Hajime asked incredibly bluntly.  
  
Ibuki was just giggling over the whole thing. “ _ _Oh Koizumi-chan~ Get over here so you can snatch some shots!__ ” She was saying with a mischievous grin on her face.  
  
” _ _No way! I am not doing that!__ ” Mahiru fought back.  
  
Jana pushed through them all and started to unwrap the string of sausages as Mikan begged for forgiveness. “It’s fine, Tsumiki-san, you’re forgiven.” She told the nurse, who seemed to recognise that particular English phrase. Perhaps it came up a lot in her hospital work? It was Jana and Sonia who helped her back onto her feet and started to clear the mess that Mikan’s trip had left.  
  
” _ _You really need to be more careful.__ ” Mahiru gently scolded as she helped Mikan brush down her nurse’s uniform. “ _ _Are you alright?__ ”  
  
” _ _Oh hey, the lights are back here too!__ ” Jana turned around and saw her pink haired friend returning to the dining hall looking surprised at the return of light.  
  
” _ _Did you fix the circuit breaker?__ ” Hiyiko asked from behind the much taller students. “ _ _Were you actually useful for once?__ ”  
  
”Give it a rest, Saionji-san.” Jana warned the dancer. She wasn’t about to break her promise to Byakuya but she also didn’t want this brat to get away with her behaviour. It pleased her when Hiyoko shuffled in place and gave her a weak glare. Apparently she still remembered Jana’s temper finally snapping.  
  
Kazuichi shuffled on the spot a little before glancing away. “ _ _Actually no, I couldn’t find my way to the office to do that.__ ”  
  
” _ _So then, how did the lights turn back on if you didn’t reset the circuit breaker?__ ” Mahiru asked.  
  
” _ _I dunno.__ ”  
  
” _ _Don’t give me that answer!__ ” The photographer snapped back. “ _ _God, you’re so useless!__ ”  
  
”Hey, he tried and even though he didn’t do anything, we still have light back.” Jana pointed out with a note of protectiveness in her voice. Some people really didn’t think their words through.  
  
” _ _Exactly!__ ” Kazuichi agreed with her with a grateful smile. “ _ _There was no way of getting there in the dark.__ ”  
  
” _ _Nevermind?__ ” Everyone turned to look at Nagito who was looking at Sonia who was glancing around the room. “ _ _Is something wrong?__ ”  
  
” _ _I’m not sure... But it is making me a little uneasy.__ ” Sonia admitted. “ _ _Has anyone seen Togami-san?__ ”  
  
At her words, everyone started looking around the dining hall, not moving an inch from their spots but no one could see their white suited host.  
  
”Maybe he was the one who turned the lights back on?” Jana hopefully suggested though her senses were telling her something very different.  
  
” _ _Or he ran off somewhere during the blackout?__ ” Ibuki threw out her own suggestion. She was just as nervous as everyone else, Jana didn’t think she’d ever seen the muscian looking so... Not energetic.  
  
” _ _In that darkness?__ ” Hajime questioned. “ _ _Souda couldn’t find the office and barely made it into the hallway, where would Togami run to in the dark?__ ”  
  
” _ _But still, I’m worried.__ ” Nagito piped up, not looking like his usual happy-go-lucky self for the first time since Jana met him. “ _ _I think we should split up and search the place.__ ” Was he taking charge? While it was nice to see, it made Jana’s instincts stir uncomfortably. “ _ _Hinata-kun, could you check the entrance while I check the storage room?__ ”  
  
Hajime nodded and left then Kazuichi raised his hand. “ _ _I’ll go check the office.__ ” He offered and left with everyone notified.  
  
” _ _Then I shall check the hallways.__ ” Sonia announced before turning to Jana. “Are you coming?” she quietly asked as Akane announced she would stay behind since she was in the middle of her meal.

Jana shook her head. “I think I’ll stay here with Akane. In case he comes back.” She informed her friend before sliding down the wall and onto the floor to make herself comfortable. With Nekomaru deciding to check the bathroom and Hiyoko deciding that she was going to finger flick their ‘cowardly leader’ on the nose, the search began.

* * *

Staying behind meant Jana and Akane wouldn’t get any news until someone returned not that the latter seemed to be bothered as the gymnast was still chowing down. As tasty as the food had been, Jana couldn’t bring herself to eat any more, she was too worried and the smell in the room was bothering her.  
  
” _ _Hey, you alright, red head?__ ” Akane asked, walking over and taking a seat next to her.  
  
”I’m not the only red head on the island, you know.”  
  
” _ _You gonna eat that?__ ” Jana handed over her plate to Akane who happily wolfed it down. Heh... wolfed. “ _ _Hey, you okay?__ ”  
  
Jana sighed and shook her head. “Not really... Something’s wrong here and I want to believe it’s not what I’m suspecting.”  
  
Surprisingly, Akane slowed her eating and gave Jana a long look before lowering her head. “ _ _Yeah, I know the feelin’. My gut’s tellin’ me something but I can’t figure out what.__ ”  
  
”Your gut?”  
  
” _ _Mhm. I can smell somethin’ too.__ ”  
  
This had Jana’s mind whirling. Was Akane... No, she couldn’t be, Jana would’ve picked up the scent already if Akane was like her. But just to be sure, Jana flared her nostrils, sniffing the air. She didn’t have to hide the action as she could simply pass it off as being curious about what Akane could smell. Jana couldn’t smell another wolf nearby so it looked like Akane simply had very good instincts and had a naturally sensitive nose but she could also smell something else in the dining hall that definitely didn’t belong. A strong metallic smell. Jana knew it; whether it was animal or human, all blood smelled the same. It made her heart skip several beats as her suspicions were confirmed; someone had taken advantage of the blackout... Byakuya was the only one missing... She doubted the others would find him.  
  
” _ _You smell it too?__ ” Akane asked and Jana nodded, her naturally pale face going even paler.  
  
”W-We should wait until the others get back. Tell them that there’s a weird smell coming from the back table.”  
  
” _ _Do you think...__ ” Akane trailed off, a drumstick halfway to her mouth as she looked at Jana in confusion as shock.  
  
”I don’t want to think that.” Jana quickly replied, wrapping her arms around her knees. “But when I think about it logically... I think someone finally fell for Monokuma’s talk.”

Sonia was the first to return and Jana waved her over. “Is everything alright?” She asked her friend.  
  
”I don’t think so...” Jana replied. She watched as the others returned and once again, she counted them; Sonia was by her side, Akane had stayed in the dining hall with her, Chiaki was still outside, Peko was around somewhere, Fuyuhiko hadn’t bothered to turn up in the first place, Nekomaru, Gundam, Ibuki, Mahiru, Nagito, Hiyoko, Kazuichi, Mikan, Teruteru... Hajime hadn’t come back yet. Byakuya was still missing and Jana had a feeling she now knew exactly where he was. She was lost in thought, too scared to interact which Sonia seemed to notice and Jana was thankful that the princess remained quiet as the rest of their peers talked nervously.  
  
” _ _Ah Hinata-kun!__ ” Nagito exclaimed as the final one entered the room. Jana fought back a sad smile as she thought of them all meeting in the classroom a few days ago. He’d been the last one then too. “ _ _Did you find him?__ ”  
  
She watched Hajime shake his head. “ _ _I spoke to Nanami and she said Togami definitely didn’t go outside. Anyone else find him?__ ”  
  
No one answered.  
  
” _ _We’ve got a problem though.__ ” Kazuichi pointed out and everyone turned to look at him. “ _ _No one was in the office.__ ”  
  
Though there were some puzzled faces, some others perked up a little in worry like Jana and Sonia.  
  
”Wait... No one?” Jana asked to confirm.  
  
” _ _I checked in with everyone.__ ” Hajime told her. “ _ _The office was completely empty which means Pekoyama’s missing too.__ ”  
  
Peko was missing too?! Jana’s mind started to race as she saw all of these puzzle pieces in front of her and tried to put them together. Byakuya and Peko were missing. She had her suspicions as to where Byakuya was but she’d assumed that Peko hadn’t left the office to guard Byakuya’s duralumin case. Jana didn’t want to assume that Peko was the reason that Byakuya might be... Indisposed but with what she knew at that exact moment? No. Jumping the figurative gun would get her nowhere. While it may lead to some kind of hint, it also influenced her perception; no, Jana knew she had to wait a little for more information. She just hoped her instincts and her initial thoughts were wrong.  
  
” _ _Maybe they took advantage of the blackout and left for a cosy makeout session?__ ” Teruteru suggested looking one hundred percent serious as he threw the idea into the ring.  
  
”Will you be serious for once?!” Jana snapped at him, her temper rising again as she worried and panicked about their situation. Seeing him shrink away from her helped but she really should be doing better. She’d promised Byakuya.  
  
” _ _Hey guys.__ ” Akane piped up. She’d finished Jana’s plate and she hadn’t yet started another. Even she was grasping how serious the situation was. “ _ _Somethin’ smells.__ ”  
  
” _ _I’m sorry?__ ” Sonia asked, asking a politer version of what everyone was thinking.  
  
” _ _No really, somethin’ smells! Me and red head could smell something after you guys all left to look for Togami!__ ” Akane tried to tell them. Jana held up her hand and waited until she had their attention before she started to speak.  
  
”It’s true. We could smell something here that didn’t fit in with everything else.”  
  
” _ _W-well...__ ” Mikan began, her fingers twitching nervously and her shoulders hunched over a little. “ _ _P-perhaps it’s simply partially digested food that has already been broken down in the intestinal tract with the remains excreted from the anus?__ ” Everyone gave her a blank expression and Jana felt so sorry for her as she took a calming breath to keep going. “ _ _T-that’s the m-mechanics of farting. I-I was wondering i-if that’s what you could smell?__ ”  
  
Both Jana and Akane shook their heads. She wasn’t going to say anything specific about the scent if Akane didn’t; Jana didn’t want nor did she need any awkward questions right now. Not when two of their number were missing.  
  
” _ _No, it wasn’t that! It smelled like blood!__ ” Akane claimed, making everyone pale a little in fear as they seriously considered the implications of the claim.  
  
”It smelled metallic.” Jana piped up, adding more to Akane’s claim. “W-We think it’s coming from the back table.”  
  
” _ _So why didn’t you check it out?__ ” Kazuichi asked, sticking to Japanese seeing as Jana was using her translator.  
  
”We decided to wait until you all got back.” Jana shifted a little as Kazuichi fixed her with a look; apparently he was learning to read her and noticed she was keeping something quiet.  
  
” _ _B-Blood?!__ ” Teruteru cried out. “ _ _T-That’s weird, I didn’t cook any rare meat...__ ”  
  
Like Jana, no one wanted to think that someone had fallen fro Monokuma’s tricks and struck out but it was Nagito who convinced them to go. She watched as Nagito rested a hand on Hajime’s shoulder.  
  
” _ _We should check out the table.__ ” He was saying and Hajime nodded.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Jana followed behind. She had a hunch and she hoped she was wrong but she just had to check. She’d promised to be Byakuya’s eyes and ears within the group, he was the group’s leader, he couldn’t have been the first to go.  
  
”I-I’ll go with you.” She stated, hanging just behind Hajime as if she were a bodyguard and followed him to the back of the room to the table.  
  
Her shoulders were hunched similarly to Mikan’s and she walked on the balls of her feet so she would be ready to spring away if she needed to. Her nostrils flared constantly, taking in the scents around the room and cataloguing which scent belonged to who. Though Hajime had initially dashed and grabbed the bottom edge of the tablecloth covering the back table, he was frozen in fear, Jana could see it in his trembling hands and his tense posture. She put a supportive hand on his shoulder.

“W-We have to know.” She told him. Her voice stuttered, her face was pale and she was shaking herself but they needed to know. Hajime nodded at her and threw the tablecloth up.

 

Jana’s hunch and worst fear were confirmed as soon as he did for lying under the table was the dead body of Byakuya Togami; the Super High School Level Heir.


End file.
